Serie A: AC Milan are suffering a NIGHTMARE after losing place at the top of the table to Inter

Stefano Pioli's AC Milan are suffering a drastic drop in form over the last month which threatens to seriously derail their ambitions of winning Serie A.

After the defeat against Napoli on Sunday, Milan are four points worse off than at this point last season and find themselves in a profoundly difficult moment.

Poor conditioning, injuries and capitulations have damaged the team's armour - too many points have been surrendered in Serie A and failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League was the icing on the cake.

A look at the team's statistics this season since the international break is alarming. The Rossoneri have lost the quality of their overall game, lost their charisma in the dressing room and continue to endure an unfortunate string of injuries.

Three defeats in the last six league games, being dumped out of Europe and seeing rivals Inter overtake them at the top of the table - not to mention a crisis up front - there has not been a positive factor for the Milan squad in any of the last four weeks.

Milan have picked up just three wins since the last international break - with one draw and four defeats and an average of 1.25 points per match - scoring 12 goals and conceding 10.

Their place at the top of Serie A has been taken away as a result and now Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Co are forced to chase Inter and have also allowed other teams into the title race.

THE 40-DAY COLLAPSE

Milan picked up just 11 points in 40 days - this alone is enough to demonstrate the collapse of the club. Milan is no longer the club everyone admires and has been living a nightmare since November, slipping away from the top and now battling to even earn a Champions League spot.

Their first Serie A defeat of the season against Fiorentina destroyed the ambitions of the club, while Ibrahimovic's failure to fire up front has has deeply frustrated Pioli. He has scored just twice all season.

The team knows that they have lost the grit and mental strength since their impressive start to the campaign. They no longer have the quality to return to their progressive football and harmonious squad that lifted them to the top in the beginning.

AGEING FRONT LINE IS A PROBLEM

When Olivier Giroud and Ibrahimovic fail to score, there is no one else to step up in attack. Pietro Pellegri is always injured and the two ageing stars also suffer from constant physical problems. This was a problem that technical director Paolo Maldini should have considered in the summer.

The club have taken a gamble to entrust in a duo that has a combined age of almost 80 years old to win the Scudetto and the fact it is spearheaded by a very old attack puts the team in a difficult position.

The blame lies with Maldini and with those who gave huge salaries for two players who have not helped in the decisive moments.

KJAER'S KO HAS HURT MILAN

Simon Kjaer suffered a serious injury earlier this month which has put a huge dent in Milan's title ambitions. The club knows they have lost the most charismatic player in their defence. Just minutes into Milan's 3-0 win against Genoa, Kjaer was forced out due to an anterior cruciate ligament blow.

He is out for the season and this is a total disaster for the club - who will be forced to find a new defender in the January to give Pioli an alternative to Fikayo Tomori and Alessio Romagnoli.

Without Kjaer there is confusion at the back and his replacements don't have the mental strength or character of the Dane.

KEY PLAYERS AREN'T STEPPING UP

While many injuries have caused chaos, so too has a decline in the performance of some key players. Brahim Diaz and Giroud have declined physically and are struggling mentally, while Franck Kessie seems to have lost his passion for the team, with his contract running down in six months.

Without their contribution, Milan will be forced to scale back on their targets for the season - despite such a positive start and continued despite a handful of difficult circumstances.

Giroud is a veteran player, who like Ibrahimovic, has suffered a number of muscle injuries and so far his contribution in Milan has been mostly negative. If Giroud, Diaz and Kessie they cannot find some form soon then potential buyer may not even be interested. They have been the villains of the last month and it is up to them to find their best form and improve the team's position in the table.