Maldini’s ghost hangs over uninspiring Milan as top-four place slips from view | Nicky Bandini

San Siro emptied early after supporters once again sang the former director’s name as club faces lack of Champions League football … againThere were more than seven minutes left to play, plus injury time, in a crucial end-of-season game, yet San Siro was already half empty. Milan’s Ultras had deserted the Curva Sud to prepare a post-game protest, but even the less organised, more forgiving parts of the club’s fanbase could not be bothered to stay until the end of another humiliating defeat.Their team was losing 3-0, at home, to Atalanta, and it hardly even felt a surprise. With this loss, inevitable as it now appeared, the Rossoneri had collected just seven points from their last eight games. Only three teams in Serie A had done worse over the same stretch. Two of those – Verona, and Pisa – have been relegated. The third, Lecce, are perilously close to joining them. Continue reading...