Despite their win, AC Milan are some way from putting their horrid start behind them. Their 5-4-3 record is broken up to 2-4-2 in the Serie A and 3-0-1 in Europe.  Milan’s excuse is that teams in Serie A play a lot more defensive than teams in Europe and that all they need to do is focus a bit more during league games and they'll start winning. It also needs to be remembered that many, if not all, of the seven games in which they have dropped points they have played as well as, or better than, their opposition.

So Milan can take solace in the fact that they haven't been playing badly, but I don't think their problems are as simple as a lack of intensity and more organised defences in league games. There are tactical deficiencies, personnel problems, tifosi trouble and injury issues. A team filled with world class players like Kaka does seem to have a worrying proliferation of underlying faults.

Injuries are something that affect all clubs from time to time and they cannot be avoided. Ronaldo and Paolo Maldini have been Milan's most notable absentees, although Maldini did make a return against Empoli at the weekend. They have also had many others in and out of the squad due to injury thus far, including Daniele Bonera, Kakha Kaladze and Marek Jankulovski. A mixture of niggling and long-term injuries have meant that the defence has been very shaky and Ronaldo's injury has left Milan with just two strikers who can't play effectively together. While injuries are a part of the game, Milan's focus on retaining players deep into their 30s has left them with an old squad prone to breaking down.

‘There are tactical deficiencies, personnel problems, tifosi trouble and injury issues. A team filled with class does seem to have a worrying proliferation of underlying faults.’

Injury problems have also served to underline the severe lack of depth at the club. The bench has looked horribly weak this season and usually does not make much of an impact. There is also not a lot of variety in the type of players at Milan which means that it is hard to make tactical changes both before and after games, which makes Milan predictable and easier to defend against. In attack, Alberto Gilardino and Pippo Inzaghi play fairly similar roles which has made it hard for them to work together, and because of that they often don't play at the same time. In the midfield, most of the players are central and the lack of width makes it very easy for opposing teams to close down the space because Milan effectively wipe 10-15 metres off each side of the field without any wingers. Milan have also struggled between the posts with Dida's inconsistent and sometimes non-existent form and fairly poor back-ups.

Personnel problems also extended to the coaching staff and boardroom. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has often been criticised for befriending the players rather than leading them and for a tactical stubbornness which has seen him often fail to react to certain issues in individual games and over the course of the season. The physio staff were criticised by Ronaldo and his personal doctors and perhaps their injury management is hindering the club. Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani, as President and Vice-President respectively, have also been criticised for complacency and poor handling of Milan's transfer operations which has seem them miss out on players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Against Shakhtar all Milan's goals came from crosses, either directly or indirectly from corners, and I think this highlights the need for more width in Milan's game. Not only have they proved that they can be productive off crosses but the extra width would hopefully open up that now infamous space in the middle of the park that Milan need so much. Wide midfield players would also take pressure off the fullbacks to get forward and help them concentrate more on tightening up the defence. I also think that Milan need to play with more pace, at least until they get the lead. The slow pace that they often play with also gives the opposition defences too much time to get organised and close down spaces. Milan currently focus a lot on maintaining possession, but against Shakhtar, Milan had less possession than their opposition for the first time all season and won 4-1. Milan need to move the ball around quicker and not be afraid to lose possession every now and again.