A turbulent summer at the San Siro saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva leave for Paris as AC Milan were forced to cope with a weakened squad.
Giampaolo Pazzini, Riccardo Montolivio and Nigel de Jong arrived but a poor start put Massimilano Allegri under intense pressure.
Stephan El Shaarawy could not stop scoring as Milan slowly moved up the table and progressed in the Champions League to give the Rossonerri hope of better things to come.
Here, Sports Mole reviews a difficult campaign for Allegri's side.
August
A frustrating opening day set the tone for a tough start to the season for Milan as Sampdoria left the San Siro with all three points.
Andrea Costa scored the only goal of the game, with Milan spurning a series of gilt-edged chances.
September
Pazzini bagged a hat-trick on a memorable debut to help Milan secure their first success of the season in a 3-1 win at Bologna.
Two defeats followed as Milan's miserable start continued, piling the pressure on Allegri.
Atalanta became the latest side to stun the San Siro before an Antonio di Natale penalty was enough for Udinese to leave Milan languishing near the drop zone.
El Shaarawy lifted the gloom with a brace to beat Cagliari before scoring at Parma to secure a 1-1 draw away from home.
October
Milan kick-started their European campaign as they began October with a 3-2 win away to Zenit St. Petersburg.
Hopes of taking that form into Serie A were dashed by local rivals Inter, with Walter Samuel making the decisive breakthrough on a frustrating night for Milan.
A spirited display at Lazio was let down by defensive mistake as goals from De Jong and El Shaarawy failed to prevent a 3-2 defeat.
Malaga proved too strong in Europe but Milan collected four points from league games against Genoa and Palermo to end the month in better shape.
November
A run of just one defeat in seven matches gave Milan a platform to build their season on as El Shaarawy fired the Rossoneri up the table.
Five goals against Chievo were quickly followed by a scoring return for Alexandre Pato in a draw at home to Malaga.
Fiorentina put on a fine display of attacking football to run out 3-1 winners at the San Siro but Milan bounced back to claim a credible point at Napoli.
A memorable strike from Philippe Mexes helped Allegri's men get back to winning ways against Anderlecht and qualify for the Champions League last 16.
Next up Juventus arrived at the San Siro in table-topping form, but Robinho's penalty ensured that the reigning champions were beaten in a spirited Milan display.
El Shaarawy scored a brace in a 3-1 success at Catania to end a busy month on a high for an improving side.
December
Milan scored four times in back-to-back games to finish 2012 on a high and head into the winter break in seventh place, a minor miracle given the grim outlook in September.
Antonio Nocerino and Pazzini got back among the goals in a 4-2 win over Torino before two own goals helped Milan repeat the trick at home to Pescara.
Roma brought their brilliant run to an end in the last match before Christmas, bursting out of the blocks to score three first-half goals on the way to a 4-2 success.
Liam Power
