Things are stacking up against Stefano Pioli, and a report has claimed that he is unlikely to be the head coach of AC Milan going into the 2024-25 season.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (as seen below) likens Milan to an ‘engine in need of repair’. For a while they work, accelerate brilliantly, then suddenly stop – and they make a lot of noise in the process.
Milan have been at the centre of loud discussions for some time and everyone is talking about the coach. Pioli’s side dropped into the Europa League, are nine points behind Inter in Serie A and are out of the Coppa Italia.
A year ago, at the end of the first half of league games, similar conclusions were drawn. Milan were in the running in the Champions League but even further away from Napoli and out in the round of 16 in the Coppa.
This time, earning his place on the bench for 2024-25 seems increasingly unlikely. The owners and management will make a decision later in the spring, but it is clear that something has broken in the environment.
The magic of 2022 disappeared, like ‘Pioli is on fire’ which was first rejected by large sections of San Siro, then deleted from the soundtrack. The Coppa Italia, in reality, shifts the balance more for the fans than for the club.
The Rossoneri supporters waited for it and were filled with expectations because the bracket invited them to imagine Milan in the final, to play for a trophy. It was the simplest way to go back to celebrating after two years.
In the club’s sporting and economic budget, however, the cup has very little impact. It is no coincidence that in Gerry Cardinale’s Christmas greeting message – in reality a pointed programmatic manifesto – there is a trace of all the trophies… except one.
Cardinale will return to Milan very shortly and on Sunday he will be at the stadium for Milan-Roma but the judgment on Pioli will depend on something else. From the results of this season, which are currently disappointing, from the chemistry with the team, which is holding up despite some downturns, from the confidence in the future.
So, now, what happens? Pioli will move forward, trying his best, but the end-of-cycle atmosphere that surrounds the current AC Milan will inevitably evolve game after game, positively or negatively.
Sunday’s match, for example, is a perfect opportunity to regenerate morale, erase the memories of a year ago – the ten minutes in which 2022 evaporated – and send a message in the top four race.
Pioli has almost always won the duel with Mourinho, often with ideas and convincing play, but regardless of what happens on Sunday there are considerations about the long history of Pioli and Milan that will not change.
