In an interview today, Marco Giampaolo has criticised AC Milan for sacking him, after his tenure only lasted seven games of the 2019/20 season before Stefano Pioli came in.
Giampaolo’s name is remembered for the wrong reasons in Milan, mainly because he is the shortest-lasting manager in the history of the club – lasting 111 days before he was given the sack. With three wins and four defeats in seven games, his position as the head coach was never promising.
Speaking to Il Terzo Uomo (via Calciomercato.com), Giampaolo criticised the Diavolo for the decision to sack him just seven games into his tenure, believing that he deserved more time.
“There are projects that begin and can go on and other experiences that end immediately. In Rossoneri I lacked time, I didn’t have the chance to work well and to be able to improve things.”
Of course, the topic of more time has been rife this season, with Paulo Fonseca almost facing a similar storyline, but after a victory in the Derby della Madonnina, he has earned himself a future for now, powered by the restart he provided the club under his guidance.
One thing are the results, or lack of same, another thing is the attitude of the players and the expression of the team. Both were very bad during Giampaolo, so his legacy is just about right.
Marco Giampaolo didn’t have a plan coming in as a manager based on what we (fans, players and management) saw on the field. Stefano Pioli was not sacked because came in with a plan (despite teething issues) and did better with the same personell as Giampaolo at least until the next transfer window when he deservedly got an upgrade which he consequently won the league with in 2 years.
With tremendous respect to Giampaolo, AC Milan is a juggernaut which was beyond his capabilities as a manager and we were in more need of results with the preceding 5 or 6 years before he was appointed and sacked in mind.
As regards Fonseca, everyone saw what his desired tactical set up on the field is during pre-season and most recently vs Inter, arguably the best tactically set up team in Europe. Fonseca has a plan and dare I say, his planning outdid Simone Inzaghi, who is no slouch. Fonseca earned his stay of execution on the field and what he does with this stay is in his hands. Giampaolo didn’t. Pressure at that level comes with the job.
Pioli was horrendous, but we already sacked giampaolo so we must giving Pioli more time or milan will become a comepletely circus by sacking 2 manager before winter.
Godbless we got Ibra back and Kjaer, Pioli literally mean nothing without them, the disater against Atalanta and the goaless draw with the bottom table Sampdoria left milan even lower than the begining of the season. We scored 0 goal in 3 match iirc
In normal circumstances Pioli would have been let go
During the (thank go short lived) era of Giampaolo, I remember feeling that the team had no clue what to do, almost as if they never practised any type of attack. I felt that ANY team could get a decent result against us.
Forget wins, any goal we scored looked like a fluke, a dumb luck.
With Pioli, even though the results were no immediate, I felt a huge improvement from the game plan perspective.
Pioli had almost been sacked, but because new player / striker coming in winter and brought better condition, he got his chance
Since he left he’s been in charge of Torino for 21 matches attaining a 0.90 PPM rate, and then Sampdoria for 25 matches, attaining a 0.84 PPM rate. That’s a terrible record. He’s clearly not a Milan calibre coach.
He is right only in theory. Remember how in the first game vs Udinese he literally undid all his pre-season plans and played four or five players out of position? That screamed confusion and you could see the players didn’t trust him. Hell, I don’t think he trusted himself. It was complete chaos with mediocre Fiorentina (coached by a previously not-fit for Milan manager) leading 0:3 against 11 lost souls before Leao scored a consulation solo goal. Maldini recognized his mistake and acted fast. I would’ve held the same opinion even if he didn’t win the scudetto with Pioli. It’s just how it is. There should be at least one good reason for a coach to be given time at a club like Milan and he failed to display such.
buhuhu. He had one shot, one opportunity,
to seize everything he wanted, he let it slip
You’re right. We should have hired Eminem to coach Milan that year.
I think he’s fair to make the point that he wasn’t given much of a chance, but ultimately Milan made the right call as evidenced by various successes under Pioli.
I can understand his frustration as that was realistically his one shot at a big club, but the club had to act as he didn’t seem to be gelling with an admittedly poor group of players – he was a bit of a fall guy though.
Conversely with Fonseca, I’d have been incredibly irritated if they had removed him after the Inter game as he’s basically being judged off an opening three games, where he had no real pre-season with many of the players who have had zero break since the previous summer, and against a Liverpool squad who are leagues above us in readiness at the moment, but no-one in the club can bring themselves to admit that.
The team had no direction and leadership under him. He was clueless. And apparently didn’t get much better after he left us.
Unforgettable. Like witnessing genocide for ninety minutes.
He tried to play Suso as an Am in a diamond midfield, with f’ing Borini as a mezzela. I mean, come on, cry me a river
Buddy, not a single positive was present during your time. The players didn’t trust you, we never looked like winning a single game. We shipped 7 goals to Atalanta ffs. There was no plan, no strategy, just panic. You had no stability, and were wasting a squad who won the league withing 2 years