AC Milan must be ready to spoil Inter’s Serie A title celebration when the two sides meet in the rearranged Derby della Madonnina in April.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below), the Rossoneri simply cannot allow Inter to mathematically secure the title during a derby in which Milan are the home side.
The game has been set for Monday, April 22. It is very unusual for such a huge game to be played on a Monday night, but Milan’s involvement in the Europa League against AS Roma on the previous Thursday means that they would be at a serious disadvantage if the game was played on Sunday.
The request to move the fixture was granted, but it arguably puts even more focus on the fact that, if results over the next month go in a particular pattern, Inter can win the title against Milan.
Considering that Milan have lost five consecutive matches against Inter, this is a perilous situation for the club and for Stefano Pioli. Considering the coach is fighting fo this job, getting all three points on April 22 would do wonders for his approval rating.
Between the Europa League and this fixture, Pioli’s future could be decided.
It’s Pioli’s Milan. Inter winning the title against us as the away team for a sixth straight win is exactly what’s going to happen and it’s going to sting.
Let me stay in my “5 wins in a row” bliss a while more please, no reality chacks until the derby
That’s kind of what become a “good season” for the eyes of many. Just managing the spoil the party for a rival who will win the scudetto anyways will be considered a huge achievment that will save the coach’s job !!
Are we Milan or Cagliari ?
Checks*
I think the result against Inter will be as critical for Pioli’s future as the EL run.
Let’s say Milan win EL but lose to Inter. Do you keep a coach who entered history as the only person to lead Milan to 6 straight Derby defeats?
Objectively, yes. Because he would have won a competition and would have achieved the minimum goal of qualifying for the CL (both via winning the EL or finishing top 4). As much as I hate that thought, the answer is going to be yes. I really would like the Pioli era to end. I think we can do better. But to be honest Pioli hasn’t been bad. We could certainly have been worse. But I think the real question is not will we keep Pioli if we lose the derby and win the EL, it’s do we keep Pioli if we lose the derby, finish 3rd and lose in the EL final or even the semis. If you take this season as a stand alone, I think the answer would be yes, we keep him. A European semi and finishing 3rd or 2nd is objectively a good season in and of itself. But taken as a whole, we are all aware of our shortcomings under Pioli. So it will be up to management to decide where the line is precisely, and we will find out come June.
I more or less agree on the first part. As much as I hate losing to inter (for obvious reasons), winning the EL would be massive considering Liverpool, who is arguably one of the strongest European teams this season, is in it and would put us in an advantageous position for the UCL next season. HOWEVER, if he loses againt to inter, that means that he simply has no formula to beat them, and that each time we will face them we will end up losing points or get eliminated and that’s a big problem.
If we lose the derby, and lose the EL, I think it’s goodbye time. A EL semi is very different from a UCL semi and a season without any title, even if we finish 2nd or 3rd, and considering this is the fourth season with him, will be very dissapointing and largely unsuccessfull.