Five talking points from Serie A Matchday 13

#3 AC Milan are still some way off matching the elite

AC Milan are finding it very difficult especially against their equals

Whilst their neighbors are experiencing an upturn in form, the Rossoneri are still grappling with an erratic run. But more importantly, what the 2-1 defeat to Napoli this Saturday highlighted is their continued inefficiency against the bigger sides in the division.

The Partenopei had the visitors by the short and curlies, racing to a 2-0 lead with some clinical attacking display. Milan's defense was rendered helpless on both occasions, as Alessio Romagnoli's late strike was a mere consolation for an otherwise forlorn visitors.

Manager Vincenzo Montella is failing exactly where Filippo Inzaghi and Sinisa Mihajlovic before him, did - instilling desire and bravery in this team against the bigger sides.

This psychological inferiority with which Milan enter the field puts them in a precarious position even before a ball is kicked. And, this has to change if they are to stop dropping points so cheaply.

The advent of Chinese ownership was supposed to be the harbinger of an uprising in a side that's so desperate to get back to the summit. But if their current state is anything to go by, it's not happening and won't happen anytime soon.

For all their expensive acquisitions, AC Milan remains miles behind the elite grouping, and it would take more than just hefty expenditure to restore it to its former glory.