AC Milan failed to extend their winning run on Saturday evening as Atalanta deservedly prevailed 3-2 at Gewiss Stadium. Despite Stefano Pioli’s words after the game, the home side were better at everything, as Andrea Longoni highlights.
Pioli may have been disappointed after the clash, but he made some questionable statements in his post-match interview. It’s nothing new for the Milan fans, though, as the manager has been responsible for some pretty tone-deff quotes in recent weeks.
In his editorial for MilanNews this morning, Andrea Longoni discussed the situation of Milan and also decided to debunk the quotes of Pioli. And the journalist is right, as the Rossoneri really didn’t deserve to get a point from the clash.
“Yesterday, we saw a team that emerged from a negative moment, taking to the field very well organised and motivated by the manager: Atalanta. The other seemed overwhelmed by a sense of tactical confusion and motivational flatness. And the result, based on what we saw on the pitch, could have been decidedly wider.
“‘We were in the game, our opponents were better in the area’, declared Pioli immediately. No, the opponents were better everywhere and at everything, not just in the area.
“‘If it had ended 2-2, there would have been many positive things’. No, a point would have been blatantly undeserved and would have been of little use.
“‘Until the red card of Calabria, we played well’. No, the team played very poorly for almost the entire match.
“The real mistake of Moncada and Furlani was confirming Pioli in the summer, and having decided in recent weeks not to replace him. The cycle has long been over,” he wrote.
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“The real mistake of Moncada and Furlani was confirming Pioli in the summer, and having decided in recent weeks not to replace him. The cycle has long been over,”
I think the real real mistake is having a banker with 0 experience in football run a football club. It can be seen, I just hope we will get into the CL. Or maybe not so he is fired.
Even if we don’t go to the next round (which is very likely), there is a big chance the management still decides to keep him until the end of the season.
Yeah the real problem is the owner him self, the rest Management-coach-player transfer are his non sense choices, having yes-man running the club, making use of Moneyball and algorithm can’t provide good result at AC MILAN
With Maldini gone, Pioli no longer have shield to defend him.
Maldini took the bullet for Pioli. Pioli basically got Maldini fired.
Bullet… fired…
Pioli is never and will never be a master Tactician…. I have repeatedly emphasized that this man had NEVER won anything till until Ibrahimovic inspired scudetto…. And now that Ibrahimovic and maldini are not around anymore, we can see what he is capable of doing, CONFUSED play, tactical flatness, uninspired game plan, his word and figure doesn’t even carry weight, failed track record, just anything bad you can think of a manager….. a team is a reflection of the leader…. We can see inzaghi’s Inter, they have been on the upward trajectory since he came to the helm, we can see Allegri’s Juve, uninspiring yet grinding out result, we can see Mourinho Roma, lack depth and quality, yet the grinta and ruggedity is plain to all…. I don’t know what I should call Pioli Milan….. weak, porous and all over the place…. It’s a reflection of the leader.
You’re absolutely right. Pioli is clueless and confused as a coach. Sometimes it feels like milan don’t train before coming into matches. Totally shambolic football. The goals so far are only thanks to individual brilliance. He might be a coach, but he’s not a tactician..I tell you. Milan management just want to save their faces by not sacking him till the end of the season so Maldini won’t say “I told you so”.
Hear hear. I’d correct one thing though… “Tactical flatness”. I wouldn’t call it that. I’d call it how it is: total lack of any tactics. There is no such thing in Milan. Zero tactics.
“The real mistake of Moncada and Furlani was confirming Pioli in the summer” you don’t say 🤔
I think the real mistake is firing Maldini who has been correct the last two in post- seasons but owners failed to adequately back him and his decisions (which turns out eventually to be what they did anyways)
Origi and 65 million in lost revenue is why Maldini was fired. He was a bad director. Just like Pioli is a bad coach
With the constraints, coach and ownership he had to work with, he’s looking like a genius.
What 65m lost in revenue? We can’t really tell what impact would be if Origi/CDK weren’t with us last season. It’s BUTTERFLY EFFECT, even disappearance of seemingly useless player like them could result in not reaching UCL semifinal last season which bring much revenue to the point that Milan register profit.
Lol 😂 😂😂😂
Yes Nelli, such a terrible director for making the UCL semis and getting a Scudetto hahaha.
Anyways back in topic my original point was that he’s been correct twice in a row….when we won the Scudetto didn’t Maldini recommend getting Botman even after stellar performances by the defence leading up to that point? And he was correct, we needed to bolster the defence ad his first choice esp based on what happened during that next season.
And then the year following that, he preferred a change of coach? Also correct as you can see, right now.
Take your blind hatred for the man. He, just like his defending when he was a player, was always a step ahead of the game. Too bad he had to work with backstabbers
“Yes Nelli, such a terrible director for making the UCL semis and getting a Scudetto hahaha.”
You could say the same thing about Pioli, could you not? Doesn’t mean Pioli is a great coach or that Maldini was a great director. He made many mistakes like letting our best players leave for free, which affected how much money the club had to replace them which is why they never adequately replaced Kessie or Calhanoglu.
Also the list of useless signings: Origi, CDK, Ballo-Toure, Dest, Bakayoko, Vranckx, etc… Plenty of reasons to let him go.
Given American Ownership, I feel the plan of Furlani and Cardinale was to give Pioli the players he asked for to play the way he wants without any distractions or conflicts of interest (Maldini/Massara).
Pioli achieves the objectives? Great, keep going.
Pioli fails? Great, here’s the door, take care.
This was always the defining year for Pioli under the new management. That’s why there are not official words from Milan to publicly back PIoli. Probably because this was always a cold and calculated way of running things.
Yep exactly, unfortunately Milan are most likely stuck with Pioli until the wheels fall off entirely or the end of the season. Hopefully they are sick of hearing about all the positives Pioli takes from these terrible performances and late game collapses
Apparently, the distraction and conflict are necessary to keep him sharp.
Lol 😂 😂😂😂
Yes Nelli, such a terrible director for making the UCL semis and getting a Scudetto hahaha.
Anyways back in topic my original point was that he’s been correct twice in a row….when we won the Scudetto didn’t Maldini recommend getting Botman even after stellar performances by the defence leading up to that point? And he was correct, we needed to bolster the defence ad his first choice esp based on what happened during that next season.
And then the year following that, he preferred a change of coach? Also correct as you can see, right now.
Take your blind hatred for the man. He, just like his defending when he was a player, was always a step ahead of the game. Too bad he had to work with backstabbers