Milan put aside the disappointment of a 4-0 home drubbing against Napoli a fortnight ago by earning a point away at Torino in a scrappy encounter on Saturday night.

Both teams struggled to create opportunities, and it looked like Carlos Bacca had sealed all three points when he slotted home Bertolacci’s pull back. But then Daniele Baselli found the net to equalize.

It is a better result on paper, the first draw of the season and a performance in which Milan rarely looked like conceding.

Nonetheless, it happened, the game was drawn, and we learned a few things…

1. A lot to answer for

The coach has to be pointed at again sadly.

People dare not criticise Mihajlovic because he has inherited a ridiculously desperate situation and has only had a few months, however a coach of his stature has made some worrying decisions.

So far in his tenure, he has no idea what his strongest starting line-up is, no clue what the best formation to use is, and the combinations in defence through to attack change week to week.

Add to that the baffling decisions to include certain players and exclude others (more on this later) and I, like many others, am starting to question more and more.

It will be a long process, but can anyone categorically turn around and say that after the first 8 games they are more confident that Miha is the right man for the job? I sincerely doubt it.

2. Set up to fail

As soon as I looked at the team, there was something not right about the line-up.

The formation screamed of panic. It was an attempt to bring width to a team that hardly has an abundance of quality wingers. Add to that a lone striker, not even the right lone striker to start a game, and you have a tactical failure in my honest opinion.

Furthermore, it doesn’t help the midfield at all. The whole reason the 4-3-1-2 failed was because Milan doesn’t have three midfielders and a Trequartista that can co-exist.

Playing another formation with three men in midfield did not help. I’m not claiming that I have the answer to the problem; it may just be that no formation is a perfect fit and compromises have to be made, but it just seemed so obvious a 4-3-3 wasn’t going to work from the offset.

3. Woes continue

It really is not happening for Alessio Cerci.

Thrust into the starting eleven at his former club Torino, part of me felt that he could feed off the adrenaline of the hostile reaction he was bound to receive.

Fans were expecting a performance, and he never showed up. Again. He was marked out of the game by Molinaro who was outstanding in all fairness, but he did not help himself.

Spending most of the match with his back to goal, looking to take the odd pass from the loose cannon that is Abate, rather than using his pace and getting in behind. It was a fatal error and he looked completely lost.

Add to that the fact he made a meal of every challenge, going to ground like a murder had just occurred, and you have the grand sum of a very frustrating performance.

How many more chances is Cerci going to get? I’d argue that should be his last.

4. A tale of struggle

Spare a though for Luiz Adriano as he had a tough night by his own admission.

I do not, however, place one bit of blame upon Luiz. Mihajlovic got it wrong, plain and simple, by deploying him as the lone striker in a 4-3-3.

The 4-3-3 is all about width and exploiting the flanks in order to deliver more. That means you start the game with a target man in there, otherwise it might as well be a false nine.

Carlos Bacca came on and showed us what Milan were missing. Someone willing to fight for every yard, get physical and be on the end of every ball.

Luiz Adriano is not that man, and it isn’t why he was signed. This isn’t the first time I have pointed out his role as a space eater and a deep lying forward, somebody to cut into gaps and open up space for the target man to operate.

I’m not sure exactly how long the 4-3-3 experiment will continue for, yet I am sure that it has to be either Bacca or Balotelli (at a push) to lead the line.

There is a role for Luiz, though I don’t know where it is in a 4-3-3.

5. The theme continues

Finally, another incredibly frustrating aspect of the performance is something that has been a running issue so far this season.

As soon as Milan scored through Bacca, the team completely and I mean completely switched off.

Alex and Romagnoli had actually looked pretty solid right up until conceding, and the team just mentally doesn’t seem to be able to hold leads well at all.

The Empoli game and Palermo games that three one-goal leads given up, it almost happened at Udinese with a three-goal advantage.

Consistent lapses in concentration are a cause for concern. It comes down to the mental strength of the team as I mentioned, and so far they have failed nearly every test.

Confidence is key, but also for Mihajlovic to do his part and put out a decisive plan, be it go for the killer goal (which should have happened) or really park the bus and take the three points.

Back to the training ground.

So, another night littered with an undertone of disappointment.

Mentions must go to Kucka and Montolivo as relative bright spots, as well as Bonaventura who was my man of the match.

Two games back at San Siro now follow in the form of Sassuolo and Chievo, and they are far from easy games.

Test after test for this fear stricken squad.

Article by Oliver Fisher