Today's pre-match press conference at Milanello further revealed the extent to which AC Milan had declined in recent years. 

Coach Cristian Brocchi's claim that he "prefers to watch Barcelona and Bayern Munich" jars with what we've seen so far, with two ugly performances against relegation fodder Carpi and Verona in his three Serie A games in charge.

Even worse, the coach himself then pointed to examples "closer to home" like Napoli... but also Sassuolo and Empoli. 

Has the club really come to this, to pointing to two mid-level Italian teams for inspiration?

There's a lot of typical Milan in this: Berlusconi's bombast upon Brocchi's hiring, suggesting that the former midfield terrier would be the bringer of good football. The higher the hype, the bigger the fall, and there have been many falls at Milanello of late.