Milan head into the international break off the back of a comfortable win over Lecce, but the calendar on the other side of it offers no breathing room, with seven fixtures crammed into October alone.
The victory on Sunday night ended a run of three games without a win, and owner Gerry Cardinale followed it with a public show of support for Rúben Amorim and the squad. "It shouldn't be lost on anyone that a new coach, with a new style of play and new players, will need time to find the right harmony," Cardinale said, according to Calciomercato.com. "And I thank our fans for supporting us in this transitional phase, as we look to put things right and restore AC Milan to its winning tradition."
Time, though, is exactly the resource the schedule refuses to grant. October begins on the 11th with a trip to Sassuolo, a ground where Milan have historically struggled. Four days later comes the away European fixture against RB Salzburg, a game the Rossoneri can ill afford to drop. Just three days after that, Atalanta under Maurizio Sarri visit San Siro.
The second half of the month is no kinder. Bournemouth away in Europe on 22 October is followed by another tricky Serie A trip to Udinese on the 25th, a midweek home match against Bologna on the 28th, and then the derby against Inter on 31 October to close it out.
Cardinale asked for patience, but a run of this density will test more than patience. By the time the derby arrives, the October programme will have told Amorim and Milan's board most of what they need to know about where this squad really stands.