There is only one trophy left for AC Milan to fight for this season, but their fate in that competition could well be decisive also in determining the future of Stefano Pioli.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have published a piece talking about Pioli’s position as the head coach. The question is becoming more and more insistent, even if the return match in Rennes in the Europa League did not help build confidence: ‘What if Pioli won that trophy that Milan have never lifted?’.
There are matches like those in Monza and Rennes which almost seem to reset all the sensations and undo all the good work. Before losing at the U-Power Stadium Milan hadn’t been beaten in the league since December 9th.
However, the defeat was a heavy one to take and then the second leg in Brittany – even if it did not affect progress to the last 16 – left another bad impression, then partially made up for by the good performance against Atalanta.
The upper management took his side in a compact manner. Giorgio Furlani, Paolo Scaroni, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerry Cardinale have all publicly backed him, to try and remain as a close-knit group. The squad, it seems, have never given up on him either.
In June, Cardinale will draw a line and take stock, but the balance will obviously be tipped one way or the other by the Europa League, a trophy in which they have never gone beyond the semi-final stage (in 1972 and 2002).
Three years ago the Rossoneri went out against Manchester United after drawing the first leg away from home, while the path to this year’s final presents decidedly difficult potential opponents like Liverpool and Leverkusen.
Pioli’s eyes are set on Dublin, but it is early – and also wrong – to make predictions. March and April will be the decisive months to understand the coach’s future, but Europe has again become key.
