Milan’s title defence hangs by a thread after recent slump

MILAN: With 86 minutes gone of their last Serie A home match AC Milan’s title defence was very much alive, two goals to the good against Roma and set to maintain the five-point gap separating the champions and league leaders Napoli.

Less than three weeks later and their hopes of retaining the Scudeto are hanging by a thread ater a sudden slump which has allowed Napoli to charge 12 clear almost completely unopposed, and led to them being knocked out of the Italian Cup and losing the Super Cup to Inter Milan.

Two quickfire goals from Roger Ibanez and Tammy Abraham snatched a shock draw for a dismal Roma that night at the San Siro, and since then Milan have looked a shadow of the team who last year snatched the title from neighbours Inter.

The partying which exploded last Spring in celebration of Milan’s first league crown since 2011 felt like a distant memory on Tuesday night when Lazio demolished Stefano Pioli’s side 4-0 and moved a point behind them in third place.

Pioli all-but conceded the title ater a miserable display in Rome, admiting that “right now a lot of things aren’t working” as previously reliable performers either get injured or underwhelm on the field.

Director Paolo Maldini insisted on Tuesday that the season “doesn’t seem like a huge disaster” but the Milan icon has been criticised for flop summer signings including Belgium atacker Charles De Ketelaere and Sergino Dest, whose display on Tuesday at let-back in place of injured Theo Hernandez was calamitous.

On Sunday Milan host struggling Sassuolo -the team whose ground fans invaded en masse to witness a long-awaited title triumph in May -- the perfect opportunity to set their season back on course.

But it would take a complete implosion for Napoli to let slip a historic first title since 1990, ater racking up an incredible 50 points at the halfway stage of the season.

Napoli host fierce rivals Roma for the first time since a huge dust-up between hardcore fans of both teams caused a motorway to be closed for nearly an hour while Roma supporters travelled to their dramatic draw with Milan.

There will be no one in the away end at the Stadio Maradona on Sunday night as both sets of fans were banned from travelling for two months in the wake of that fight.