No one outside of Milan fans expected Milan to win the Scudetto this season. All season long, they were discounted in the press. While other coaches were acknowledged for a decent couple of games, Pioli was consistently overlooked time and time again for the magic he was performing in spite of injuries, referee errors, and a very young and inexperienced squad. Now that the title race is down to Milan and Inter, some people are finally noticing Milan's mental strength. But still no one is giving them credit for what they have had for two and a half years now: consistency.
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| Milan and Inter's head to head record for the season (from La Gazzetta dello Sport via @patrickendrick) |
This graphic from La Gazzetta dello Sport this past week ahead of the Atalanta match demonstrates more powerfully than any argument I have seen why Milan deserve to win the Scudetto. At the top of the graph, it shows the team logo of the league leaders for that week. While Napoli led or co-led the league for many weeks (the grey shaded boxes,) they eventually dropped out of the race completely. Inter only topped the league for eight weeks (the blue shaded boxes,) and only by a maximum of four points.
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| Consistency: current 15 game unbeaten streak |
Milan either led or co-led the league the rest of the season, for several weeks in a row topping Inter by seven points. Without the egregious referee errors in just four of our matches, Milan would have already secured the Scudetto weeks ago. Even still, with a wagebill that is nearly double ours, Inter are still two points behind us going into the final match on Sunday, and we have the better head-to-head record, as well.
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| Consistency: 8 clean sheets in the last 10 games, only 2 goals conceded |
The graph tells the story better than words or stats can. Milan have been consistent all year and deserve the Scudetto more than Inter. Setting aside all of the incredible obstacles that Milan have had to overcome, the significantly lower wagebill, and the much younger and less experienced squad, Milan have outplayed Inter week for week for 37 weeks now. That there is even still a possibility they could take the title from us is shameful. Milan have demonstrated heart, grinta, and consistency.
This post inspired by the music of The Sundays' "Here's Where the Story Ends"