For the first time since 2003, AC Milan is headed for the final of the Coppa Italia.

It’s been such a long time since Milan graced the showpiece that their last appearance was in a two-legged affair.  Milan won that final, the last of their five triumphs in this competition, on a 6-3 aggregate score against AS Roma.

On Tuesday, they walked into the San Siro holding a 1-0 lead over Alessandria from the first leg.  The third-tier Grighi had enjoyed a truly charmed run in this tournament.  Four of the six teams they beat to get to this point were in a higher league, including two from Serie A.

But two-legged ties tend to allow the separation in talent between teams to come to the fore, and that’s exactly what ended up happening.  Milan rode a Jeremy Menez brace to a rampant 5-0 win, moving the aggregate to 6-0.

Milan’s run to the final has been tinged with some luck.  Both Fiorentina and Roma were on their side of the bracket, but they were upset by Carpi and Spezia, respectively.  That left Milan with a much easier road.  

However easy the road might be, though, a team still has to seize upon it, and Milan did just that.  For several reasons, reaching the final means Sinisa Mihajlovic can count his first season as head coach as a success.

First and foremost is the chance of winning silverware.  The last time Milan even came close to winning a trophy was the 2011-12 season, when they finished second to Juventus in the league.  Taking one back to Milanello would be a major milestone on the club’s rebuilding project.  

They may go into the game as underdogs, but Milan is probably the second most in-form team after the Bianconeri; if the San Siro side play the game right, they have a chance at winning.

Second, making the final practically guarantees Milan a place in continental competition next year.  The Rossoneri may yet finish in the top five on their own given the run of form they’re on and the nosedive that city rivals Inter Milan have endured since the calendar turned.  But even if they do fail to overtake the Nerazzurri for fifth place, the Coppa provides a fallback.

Unless something incredible happens on Wednesday in the second leg of the other semifinal between Inter and Juventus, the Bianconeri will be Milan’s opponent at the Stadio Olimpico on May 21.

The Turin outfit currently has a three-point lead at the top of the standings having capped off their remarkable comeback from early-season struggles.  

Unless something catastrophic happens, Juve will finish in the top five this year—realistically the top two—meaning that the UEFA Europa League place that goes to the winner of the Coppa will instead go to the runner-up.

Two weeks ago, club president Silvio Berlusconi told Radio Onda Libera (h/t GazzettaWorld) that Milan can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League, but that’s his typically outsized expectations and ego talking.  

His daughter and joint-executive vice-president, Barbara, took a more measured approach in late January when she told a press conference (h/t Football Italia) that Europe’s second competition was the more reasonable goal.

Nothing is more important to Milan’s rebuild than returning to European competition.  While it may not be the hoped-for Champions League place, the Europa League—for all its faults—isn’t a bad substitute, especially for a team like Milan.

Few of the players that have become first-choice at Milan have played extensively in Europe.  A primer course in the Europa League could give them valuable experience.

That experience can be invaluable.  Take Juventus as an example.  After dropping down from the Champions League group stage to the Europa League two years ago, they made a deep run to the semifinal.  That experience was likely invaluable last season when they worked their way to the Champions League final.

It wasn’t the only time Juve used the second tier as a propellant.  In 1993 Giovanni Trapattoni won the UEFA Cup.  Three years later, Marcello Lippi won the Champions League.

Milan can use the Europa League to the same ends.  It isn’t as much money as the Champions League, but it is a revenue stream they currently don’t have—and the opportunity to win the only major trophy the team has never won will add to the club’s prestige.

Silvio Berlusconi may have outsized expectations—in an interview with Alberto Cerrutti of La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t GazzettaWorld) in the run-up to his 30th anniversary at the club he said he wanted to make the Champions League final at least twice in the next five years—Milan is running at a good pace in their rebuilding process.

After two seasons with no European commitments at all, a baby step to the Europa League makes sense for a team whose project really isn’t finished yet.  

Now that Milan has all but guaranteed a place back at the European table—and the chance to take home some silverware—it’s pretty clear that this season has been a successful one.  

Now Milan will need to build on that success in the future.

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