Pioli's Milan conquers the 19th league title by winning in Reggio Emilia
The pandemic and lockdown as a watershed moment. When AC Milan returned to the pitch, they collected 30 points from twelve matches at the end of the 2019/20 season, securing a spot in the Europa League. Then, the Rossoneri picked up 79 points during the 2020/21 campaign, which meant a return to the Champions League. In 2021/22, the Diavolo achieved an 86-point tally, and it was enough for them to be crowned Italian Champions. The Scudetto-winning season started with a 1-0 win over Sampdoria in Genoa and finished with a 3-0 away victory over Sassuolo. In between the Ligurian Sea and hills of Emilia-Romagna, there were all the twists and turns of a season as compelling and intense as few others.
Stefano Pioli's Rossoneri made a brilliant start to their league campaign, winning ten and drawing two of their first twelve games to carry on from where they’d left off the previous season. However, difficulties arose between the end of November and end of December: three victories against Genoa, Salernitana and Empoli were accompanied by three defeats and a draw. The Christmas break gave the Rossoneri a chance to regroup, and, even if they lost Calabria, Tomori and Romagnoli to Covid, the team's identity remained intact. A new year, new momentum. Just a single defeat followed - against Spezia at San Siro - while there were also fewer injuries to contend with. The Diavolo reacted excellently when things didn't go their way and also recorded two crucial wins against Inter and Napoli. All of this meant that AC Milan were very much in the Scudetto race both at the start of April and then at the beginning of May, which hadn't happened since their last league triumph in 2011. The Rossoneri changed that fact and, thanks to their 44-point haul during the second half of the season (eight more than their tally across the final 19 games in 2020/21), were able to bring a truly splendid trophy home to Casa Milan. Leão and Giroud did their bit on the goalscoring front, bagging eleven each, but the teamwork that made Coach Pioli's men rock-solid at the back was also vitally important. Indeed, the Rossoneri conceded just nine goals from matchday 20 onwards.
