Without a top four finish and with an exit to rivals Inter in the semi-finals of the Champions League, AC Milan’s entire project is at risk of a big step backwards.
After the 2-0 defeat against Spezia on Saturday which complicates the race for the Champions League places, La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) reports that there are two/three weeks coming which will decide the season.
Milan are two turning points away from a glorious year, as Pioli would say, with fourth place and a Champions League final place something that has not been seen since the early 2000s. However, a collapse against Inter and a Europa League place would make the season a clear disappointment.
With Inter in the Champions League, then Sampdoria at home, Juve away and Verona at home, the next four games will decide everything. Roma’s draw against Bologna means that if Juve are excluded from the Champions League, fifth place might be all that is needed and the Rossoneri are currently there.
The revenues from the 2023-24 Champions League are crucial for the project given that they guarantee at least €40m (Milan last season collected €44m in UEFA prize money for a group stage elimination) and everything suggests that the project could continue.
At the end of June, RedBird renewed Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara’s contract and then Stefano Pioli extended until 2025 with continuity the key message. Renewals of players like Bennacer, Tonali, Tomori, Giroud and soon Leao followed, showing Milan trust all of its key players.
The millions from the next edition of the Champions League would thus serve to strengthen the team, to focus on two quality players, to continue a path that began in 2019 and was partially slowed down in this strange, crazy 2023.
However, only being in the Europa League would open doubts about a project that has had its ups and downs this season. On the one hand, the semi-final of the Champions League goes beyond all expectations, because Milan certainly do not have a squad for the European top four.
On the other hand, the team has taken steps backwards. Kessie has been missed and some key players have not been as consistent, while summer signings like De Ketelaere and Origi above all gave little or no contributiom.
Missing out on the UCL costs prestige, international visibility and at least €35m, which would force RedBird to redefine the summer plans on the market. Gerry Cardinale would also be forced to consider the future of Paolo Maldini, Ricky Massara, Stefano Pioli and all the key men of this management.
Pioli certainly seems to be in difficulty at the moment pushing a team that has lost some of its principles. Then, Cardinale has repeatedly spoken of data as a key to winning choices and RedBird love young players, with low salary, not necessarily ready immediately but with quality. Ideas compatible with the choices of Maldini and Massara? We must see.
Milan already knows that several players will leave in July: Tatarusanu, Mirante, Dest, Bakayoko and Ibrahimovic. Ballo-Touré, Vranckx, Adli, Rebic plus perhaps even Messias and Origi risk being sold/leaving too.
Milan’s squad for next season will certainly be different and the aim is to strengthen the depth options. The project still possesses economic solidity, ambition and potential, but backwards steps force reflections.
Roma won agaisnt Leverkusen in EL, and Juve has after the 1-1 draw still a good chance to reach the final.
So if one of them wins the EL, they will qualify for the CL next year, and even the 4th place will not be sufficient to qualify for CL.
We need a real miracle:
Roma/Juve do not win EL
and Juve gets top 4 and is then disqualified from CL (by UEFA or by Serie A with point deductin)
and Milan gets 5th place
alternatively:
Lazio drops 6 points
Milan wins all remaining 3 Sier A games
or
Milan wins CL
so all in all we have a very smal chance to be in CL next year, but to be honest I don’t see that coming.
Still Forza Milan!
If figc and courts gives juve penalty, than uefa must ban juve cause ffp rules.
Juve should reach 4th position with figc deduction, but must be banned from uefa.
So Milan must in last 3 games be above roma and atalanta.
“So if one of them wins the EL, they will qualify for the CL next year, and even the 4th place will not be sufficient to qualify for CL.”
Wtf are u talking about? If they win EL that does not affect us if we finish 4th. Italy would have 5 teams in CL if Roma or Juve wins EL and finish bellow the first 4 in serie A. Anyway,if Juve wins EL and finish in top4 serie A (which they will) that changes nothing ,only top 4 will go in CL next year including Juve.Winning EL is just bonus for the team which won EL to have other path to qualify for CL if they fail to do it through national league,it does not have any affect on other teams…
This is all on the management/owners failing to strengthen the problem areas within the squad. Believing Ibra (fitness), Origi, Rebic, Messias, Salemaekers would deliver based on their history was naive. No one foresaw CDK and Adli’s season but they could still be salvaged next season. That being said, this management has credit in the the bank (signings like Maignan, Theo, Thiaw, Bennacer, Krunic, Tonali, Giroud, a league title, and a still winnable CL semi-final) so they definitely deserve another season.
Well, rebic, origi and de Ketelaere should deliver, but they didn’t.
Biggest mistake were leaving hakan, kessie, and maybe Romagnoli. Those three had good impact in team.
But that is unchangeable.
Yes Maldini should have given kessie 6.5 mil per year keep hating please. Romagnoli was not crucial and neither was the turk
Yeah and that Turk is one of the best midfielders in the league now and balling every week. We where to dumb to think he was done, much much much better then Diaz
Yes Maldini should have given kessie 6.5 mil per year keep hating please. Romagnoli was not crucial and neither was the fucking turk
I can’t believe I forgot to mention Leao
Why would they be at risk? Cardinale got what he invested so far – nothing! So ,the goal is achieved.
Garbage from GDS. The sky doesn’t fall without UCL football. To be competitive in the league and in Europe, we need 10 new players. That’s unrealistic. Do we really want to see another season like this, when we play like crap before a UCL game? If we’re in the Europa League, Pioli will play the fringe players and load the squad list with the Primavera. That’s better for our long-term. Without UCL next season, we have a good shot of winning Serie A, providing we get a forward of course.
“Then, Cardinale has repeatedly spoken of data as a key to winning choices and RedBird love young players, with low salary, not necessarily ready immediately but with quality.”
You cannot win the Scudetto or compete in CL CONSISTENTLY (for that matter) with this policy: “Young players with low salary not ready immediately” – because the time it takes for each new cycle of young talent to develop (2-3 years, or they may never) our EXISTING talent (Mike, Leao, Theo etc…) will be sold or want to leave for greater riches elsewhere. We have seen it play out this season. Failed transfer campaign (for now) with practically zero contribution from the summer signings. Not the young kids fault – it should be expected. Young players take time to develop. We had the opportunity to fix our mistakes in January window but Redbird refused to spend any additional $$ so we had to bargain shop as usual for loan deals like Dest (disaster). Change in policy is needed IF we are serious about Winning and not just profit. Maldini said it in his interview before the game vs Inter – we are not on the level of the CL teams and need serious investment to take the next leap in quality. We will see what Redbird does. Finally building that new stadium would be a massive start but so far nada….