One week ago things were looking up for the Rossoneri.
Leonardo’s side was still in the Champions League with at least a chance of progressing to the next round and the Scudetto dream was still very much alive, despite only drawing away to Roma in a game that Milan dominated and should have won.
But a week in football is a long time and for Milan this past week has been a very long one indeed. And it started of course with that humiliation at Old Trafford.
Many did not expect Milan to progress. Losing at home to United by three goals to two left a mountain for Milan to climb in the return leg and for this Milan side it was mission near-impossible.
But what many did not expect was for Milan to be so comprehensively beaten by a rampant United. Had Nesta been present for Milan at the back, the Milan defense would not have caved in as it did.
With Milan comprehensively ousted from Europe’s premier competition, the focus for Milan could now turn to Serie A in which their strong second position would enable them to mount a serious challenge.
However, only days after the Manchester debacle, Milan were hit with another major setback as Alessandro Nesta was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
The value of Alessandro Nesta to this current Milan side cannot by stressed enough. The elegant former Lazio captain is nothing short of world class and, when fit, is one of the if not best central defenders in the world.
Nesta is simply an indispensable member of the the current Milan outfit and his absence for the remainder of the season will have major repercussions, for this there is no doubt.
Any team in the world would miss a player like Alessandro Nesta, however, Milan will miss him more than most. The reason being is that the current Milan squad seriously lacks depth.
The player to fill in for Nesta in tonight's clash against Chievo is none other than the 40-year-old Guiseppe Favalli. A player that was average even when in his peak, who has absolutely no pace any longer nor half the intelligence that Paolo Maldini had to compensate for this weakness.
Favalli’s performances for Milan this season have been disastrous. The most recent disaster being the one of the reasons why Milan were beaten at home by United as it was Favalli that was skinned time and again by Valencia who on one occasion set up Rooney for the goal that put United ahead.
Yet, this is the player that Milan will rely upon when they take on Chievo this evening in a match that represents a great opportunity to get to within one point of Inter and really start to mount a challenge for the Scudetto.
Of course, Milan do also have Bonera but he really is not much better either. In fact, Bonera is similar to Favalli in that he is also prone to making dreadful errors. Against United, Bonera was an absolute liability.
It was he that was at fault for United’s first goal and his performance in the first half alone was so bad that Leonardo opted to play a midfielder (Ambrosini) in central defense for the second half instead of Bonera. This move by Leonardo speaks volumes of the coaches’ lack of faith in his own defender’s abilities.
Aside from Bonera and Favalli there is also Kaladze and Onyewu. But Kaladze has hardly played all season and is not the most able centre back either whilst Onyewu has been virtually non-existent for Milan all campaign. The latter, in addition, does not possess much quality either and has next to no experience in Serie A.
Furthermore, Thiago Silva, who has made a huge impression this season, has shown that without Nesta his performances suffer also. This has been evident all season long and was evident again against United in midweek.
Clearly, the absence of Nesta presents Milan with a host of troubles and is undoubtedly a major setback to Milan’s title hopes. Alongside Ronaldinho, Nesta has arguably been Milan’s most valuable player.
The lack of depth in this Milan side has this season always threatened to become a real problem. Milan’s season only ever had a chance to be a success if players like Pato, Nesta, and Ronaldinho could remain injury free.
When Pato has been absent Milan have missed him. Thankfully Ronaldinho has not been affected by injury. But Nesta, when he has been absent, has been sorely missed him.
It remains to be seen just how much Milan will miss Nesta. Sunday's match will give a good indication.
Whatever happens now this season for Milan, for Milan’s sake and for football in general, let us hope that we have not seen the last of Alessandro Nesta.
Frank Tigani is a contributor for Bleacher Report, the open source sports network.
