AC Milan have been enjoying a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since the start of the season. The club finished outside the top six last season in a very disappointing campaign. This led to the sacking of Clarence Seedorf and former striker Filippo Inzaghi was appointed in his place. The team started in brilliant fashion by winning the opening two matches. Even though their form has dipped in recent weeks, it has still been enough to keep them in contention for a top three finish. This will be enough to see them return to the Champions League next season.
One of the reasons for this much improved form has been midfielder Keisuke Honda. The former CSKA Moscow man came to the club in January. However, he struggled heavily during his first six months at the San Siro, which led to rumours about a much earlier departure in the summer. Inzaghi has persisted with the Japanese and he has been rewarded with four goals. One has been from the penalty spot and this tally already puts him amongst one of the top scorers in Italian Serie A this season. Inzaghi has said that he is extremely happy with the performances of Honda, which could only improve as the season progresses.
“I said in America this summer that Honda had an incredible desire to prove himself, he works so hard and is always early to training. I am glad for him, as he deserves the applause of our fans. I thought that by changing system and opening up the field we could create more opportunities. It was a good response from the squad and I expected that, as I saw them work hard throughout the week. We almost conceded the equaliser on the counter from a corner, which would’ve been terrible,” said Inzaghi after the recent 2-0 win over Chievo.