The feeling is that Stefano Pioli is reaching the end of his cycle as the head coach of AC Milan, and a report has claimed that the fans have made their choice for his replacement clear.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) report this morning that the boos after the defeat against Atalanta were hard to ignore, as the fans saw yet another realistic trophy target vanish after a performance lacking any fire.
The stadium expressed itself but will not fail to support the team from the next match, but their enthusiasm must be fuelled. On social media the mood is constant and rather than being ‘#PioliOut’ as it has been in previous months, now it seems to be more ‘#ConteIn’, the paper says.
The fact he spent time at Juventus and Inter is not important to them. Conte is considered a guarantee of success, a motivator who built his victories on competitive spirit, and Milan need to rekindle their spark.
The conflict between the Milan fans on social media seems to have already flared up. Pioli’s past at Inter was thrown in his face before he had even taken charge of a single game for Milan, but these protests became ‘Pioli is on fire’.
Conte is liked for his tough ways and the determination with which he knows how to achieve success. Pioli led Milan to the Scudetto with a different strategy: always taking a step back, leaving the spotlight to the team.
Upon his arrival he had restored order to a group in confusion, choosing a soft approach because a young team needed encouragement. He brought Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao (among others) to their highest levels, and gave several young players their debut.
He started slowly, then accelerated and reached the finish line, but today he has the handbrake on again. This is why the fans invoke Conte, who is used to always starting in fourth gear and continuing in this way.
In the eyes of some fans, the ex-Juve boss would know how to keep Leao’s speed high or with his military methods he would be able to make the most of Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s physicality. The dream is Conte, for the Milan fans no other coach is so popular, La Gazzetta writes.
The majority’s desire is to have Conte because they believe Milan would return to fighting for the Scudetto. Conte won everything as a player and as a manager he has been very successful in Italy – just look at what he did with Inter.
In this case his honours are considered as a demonstration of experience at the top, both national and international, and Conte is looking for his first continental trophy after the Europa League final lost with the Nerazzurri.
The paper recalls what Zlatan Ibrahimovic said about Conte after his dismissal from Tottenham: “Some try to be an actor, some be themselves and sometimes you pay people because they say what people don’t want to hear. I prefer to express myself as I want.”
The words of Zlatan, who will have his say, seems to be a vote in favour of Conte. Ibrahimovic is linked to Pioli by affection and esteem, especially after the Scudetto win, but he knows that winning is more important than anything.
