The team started brightly. Going into the winter break, they were being considered serious contenders for a place in Europe. Instead, they crashed and burned. They lost three of their first four games after the Christmas and only managed to string together consecutive wins twice. The tailspin buried them in 10th place.
It became imperative for Milan to improve. Coach Filippo Inzaghi was shown the door, replaced by Sinisa Mihajlovic. The playing staff was also given a significant overhaul. Dead weight was trimmed in the form of releasing players such as Sulley Muntari, Michael Essien and Daniele Bonera.