The playing setup Capello employed throughout this season was an extremely defensive 4–4–2 that resulted in the entire squad scoring only 36 goals in 34 league matches while letting in only 15, as they won their third consecutive Serie A title.How Capello won his nine league titles, The Guardian, 14 December 2007 Further solidifying the defensive focus was the November 1993 arrival of Desailly who became a regular right away. Still, for the Montenegrin's inspirational and creative play, Milan-based journalist Germano Bovolenta of La Gazzetta dello Sport hailed Savićević as Il Genio (The Genius), a nickname that initially drew snickers and even occasional ridicule from other Italian journalists—especially those writing for the Turin-based Tuttosport and Rome-based Corriere dello Sport—but would eventually gain wider acceptance in the country after Savićević's performance in the 1994 Champions League Final. For the time being, as of late 1993, his footballing talents had continually been admired by club president Berlusconi with whom Dejan developed a great rapport, and it was basically Berlusconi's personal support that kept Savićević from leaving the club at various low points of his relationship with Capello.
