The CEO of Sportitalia, Michele Criscitiello, has once again claimed that AC Milan have reached the end of their cycle with Stefano Pioli and that Antonio Conte is the favoured choice for a new era.
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Anyone who watched the 3-1 win over Roma at San Siro last night certainly did not see a team that look as though they aren’t fighting for their coach, but speculation continues to swirl suggesting that this will be his last season in charge.
We took a look back at the highs and lows of Pioli’s nearly five-year tenure so far during a recent feature, while in the meantime the newspapers continue to churn out the names of potential replacements.
Criscitiello has made it clear recently that he believes it is time for Pioli to got and that Conte should be the man that the ownership go for, and he spoke again in his editorial for Sportitalia regarding the idea.
“Relationships begin and end and it is not an offence to say that Pioli and Milan have now said and given everything to each other,” he said.
“The same goes for Mourinho at Roma, on the contrary they said nothing to each other despite the fact that for years there has been an unjustified veil of love and respect towards the Portuguese.
“Let’s start with Milan: the team are strong, something more could have been done in the mercato but what hasn’t been done now will be done in the summer. In the middle there is this winter window which however sees Milan as the protagonist.
“The management are well defined and are moving even if the fans rightly expect to aim for the Scudetto every year, at least until the end. Milan are not at the level of Inter and Juve.
“They need 3-4 real reinforcements, not gambles, and above all there will have to be a change of technical leadership because Pioli has done a lot and also achieved what no one expected when he arrived but now it’s over.
“Today the team follow him less, it’s part of the cycles. Milan must decide by February who the next coach will be and whether Furlani likes Thiago Motta but a lot will also depend on his continuation of the journey, for the Milan fans and all the managers (including Ibra) the only name in mind is that of Antonio Conte.
“The coach is too important and even more so if you have a team made up of many young players. Pioli has arrived at the end of the film, we are at the end credits and Conte is ready to embrace the Rossoneri project for 2-3 years.
“Of course, someone should call him otherwise he can’t show up to the appointment alone. If Furlani picks up the phone he will not regret the call, also because a great manager can be seen in the choices of great coaches who do not bring shadow but light to those upstairs.
“Milan do not need to take any more gambles on the bench, they need certainties. There have been too many gambles on the field.”
What could Milan expect from Conte? We took a look at the three most likely scenarios in terms of linked managerial changes that have circulated.
