The transfer market brought about many changes to the squad. The Rossoneri didn't get off to the best of starts but, after stringing a few positive results together, eventually ended the first half of the season in seventh position thanks mostly to Stephan El Shaarawy's rich goalscoring form. As for the Coppa Italia, Juventus knocked the Rossoneri out in the quarters. The team stepped things up in the second half of the season, with new winter signing, Mario Balotelli, making an immediate impact. The Italian forward's twelve goals in 13 games guided the Rossoneri into third place in the table, giving them a Champions League preliminary round spot following a hard-fought battle with Fiorentina that went to the wire with a 2-1 comeback win away at Siena on the last day of the season. Following this, the Club said its goodbyes to captain Massimo Ambrosini.
In the Champions League, AC Milan secured second place ahead of Anderlecht and Zenit Saint Petersburg, but behind only Málaga. Allegri's squad recorded two victories (3-2 in Russia and 3-1 in Belgium with a stunning goal from Philippe Mexès), along with two draws (at home against Anderlecht and the Spanish team) and two defeats, which were inconsequential for their progression to the next round. Their European journey was halted in the round of 16 by Barcelona, where despite a strong performance in the first leg, they couldn't overcome the 2-0, first-leg defeat.
