Stefano Pioli’s future has come into question once again, following the defeat to Roma, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic faces a tough decision along with Gerry Cardinale. In his first summer as a consultant for the club, it remains to be seen what the Swede will advocate.
Ibrahimovic will indeed be facing a key decision at the end of this season. Anyone who is familiar with the Swede, however, knows that he’s not afraid to gamble. He has partnered up with several business ventures off the pitch including the betting site Bethard, with the bookie attempting to conquer the market like many others at spelbolagutansvensklicens.co.
So that begs the question: will he make another gamble in the summer? One could absolutely argue that parting ways with Pioli is the only way to make the crucial leap. However, having secured Champions League qualification four seasons in a row (including this one), it’s also true that the manager has given a sense of stability to the club.
Cardinale, the owner of Milan, will rely on Ibrahimovic’s opinion a lot and he will also speak to the management of the club. Giorgio Furlani is a key figure in that sense, but reports have suggested that Ibrahimovic’s words will be the most decisive ones for the American’s decision.
“Zlatan allows me to be in the States and on the field in Milan at the same time. We hired him at RedBird specifically for everything he can do in football. But above all, he is my proxy. We talk several times a day and he has the authority to be my voice with the players, with the staff, with everyone at Milan,” Cardinale recently stated in an interview.
One thing is for sure: Ibrahimovic doesn’t accept a loser mentality. Pioli’s repeated struggles in the big games have not gone unnoticed by anyone and for a club like Milan, this is not acceptable. The Swede has always lived for the big games and he has had his fair share of success in the derby against Inter. As of late, however, this has not been the case for the Rossoneri.
Most fans believe that Milan are limiting themselves by keeping Pioli in charge and only the remainder of the season will give us a definitive answer to that. Liverpool might not be in the Europa League final, having lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the first leg, and the Rossoneri will thus fancy themselves if they were to overturn the situation against Roma. But then again, it’s a big if.