FERGIE, YOU GOT THIS?

Round 21, then, and Milan's slump continues. Last week's defeat at Livorno was bad enough but this time the Rossoneri fell further still, losing one-nil at home to a Bologna side minus six starters and as one dimensional as a Mobius Strip.

Crusty old Bologna warhorse Carlo Mazzone had done his homework on the champions, packing the midfield and putting men on Andrea Pirlo and Kaka, who notoriously don't like it up 'em. And it worked a treat, although Milan did have Vikash Dhorasoo's cracking opening goal disallowed as the referee had already blown for a dubious foul.

Almost half an hour in it was Bologna who found the goal through their only chance of the first half; Tomas Locatelli supplying Theo Zagorakis who, chased by a platoon of Milan defenders, neatly freed Locatelli again in front of goal with a crafty backheel, whence the Italian Matt Le Tissier did not miss.

Faces on the Milan bench lengthened further as, 15 minutes later, Andriy Shevchenko took Alessandro Gamberini's studs in his shin and fell to the ground howling. The Ukrainian was stretchered off immediately, leaving Milan to spend the entire second half camped in Bologna's end, clocking up some 19 shots on goal without finding an equaliser. This was the third straight game in which they'd failed to score.

"This was less worrying than the Livorno defeat," smooth skipper Paolo Maldini assured us all afterwards, but far from never mind the Bologna, Milan had looked pretty vacant.

A week that had begun with success at the players awards - Milan picking up best manager and best player for last season (Carlo Ancelotti and Kaka), while Juve settled for best goalie and best ref - thus ended in the worst possible fashion; Milan losing their No1 scorer and dropping six points on Juventus in the space of eight days.