MILAN – Last season, Alex didn’t get off the mark until the third from last round away at Sassuolo. This season meanwhile, and after 22 rounds, the Brazilian defender has found the back of the net twice following goals against Frosinone and Inter.

M’Baye Niang has now scored 6 goals this season, split equally between league and cup. The Frenchman has punished Crotone, Sampdoria and Carpi in the TIM Cup while in Serie A he added a goal in last night’s derby to his brace versus Sampdoria earlier in the season.

From a collective standpoint, and compared to the 2012-2013 season, in which Milan came third, this season’s side are not far off the pace. Three years ago after 22 rounds, Milan were on 37 points, just one point more than the team’s current total of 36 points.