AC Milan have had a very tough start to the season with just two points in the first three games. A completely different team must step onto the pitch next weekend but the roots of the issues are much deeper, as argued by Andrea Longoni.
The Rossoneri have struggled big time at the start of this season, not just results-wise, as the performances have been incredibly subpar. The game against Lazio was slightly better but only slightly, as the Biancocelesti didn’t exactly look great either.
In his latest editorial for MilanNews, the journalist Andrea Longoni discussed the situation and highlighted the corporate downgrades that Muilan have experienced recently. From Ivan Gazidis to Giorgio Furlani and Ricky Massara to Geoffrey Moncada, there is a huge difference.
“Furlani may be very good in other areas, but not in football. From Gazidis to him, there was a big downgrade in terms of competence.
“Furthermore, from Massara to the promotion of Moncada, the same as above. The French scout might be good at identifying talents (that said, even here, he might not be extraordinary), but building a football team is another thing.
“Then the transition from Maldini to Ibrahimovic. Maldini is a director who accumulated experience and contributed to winning a Scudetto. He started alongside Leonardo, then he was joined by Boban and Massara.
“He didn’t have the presumption of knowing everything from the start. The presumption that, instead, the Swede transmits. The former Milan captain, whose concept of being a guarantor of the fans has been mocked by many, aimed at the best for Milan, not the best for himself, as Zlatan does.
“The difference is sensational. The winning project that convinced Ibrahimovic to sign with RedBird, well, at least at the moment, we can’t even see it. The unfortunate statement ‘Cardinale wants to spend more, I say no’ was seen by many (and rightly so) as a big joke.
“In short, the feeling today is that Ibra accepted the American owner’s proposal purely for financial gain and not for the ambition to win. Zlatan is the perfect manager for Cardinale, not for Milan. If Maldini had thought about his own interests, he would have behaved like the Swede and remained attached to his seat.
“What now? Answering this question is very complicated. Reorganising the corporate structure would be a good and right thing to do, perhaps finally introducing an expert and competent figure. Only Cardinale can intervene. Will he do it? I really don’t think so…”
It’s clear that Milan will give Paulo Fonseca more games to prove that he’s the right man for the job, but at some point they might be forced to look in the mirror as well. Because ultimately, it is the job of the directors to build a successful project.
That’s a nice summary. Furlani is good with business it seems but he’s completely lost in football. That team would have been so much different if Kessié has been paid and/or if they gave Thuram the extra 0,5M a year he reportedly wanted. Get rid of the clowns Scaroni, Moncada and Zlatan. Hanno la faccia come il culo.
And I’m still laughing at those comments a year ago about Inter will be doomed for signing overpriced Thuram and Frattesi.
Good article which covers our persisting problem of last two summers. I don’t really care if they buy a player for 20 millions or 40 millions (I am more fond of the first) but to build an actual football team we first need a plan. Which non of these executives seem capable of creating and identifying.
After two summers of team overhaul, we now desperately need management overhaul. First and foremost a proper sporting director.
These stooges are not football people, you need football people to build a successful football team not accountants who crunch numbers for a living. When you have accountants running an organisation it fails in a big way! Perfect example IBM!
This article perfectly sums up the issues at Milan.
Well what to expect really? A banker and a scout acting as a technical / sporting director? And we have to compete with the likes of Marotta and Giuntoli.
It’s normal for Cardinale to be uncomfortable with the presence of Gazidis, Maldini and Massara simply because he wasn’t the one who hired them and also the reputation they both ( Gazidis and Maldini) command may surpress the one calling the shot….therefore, its only logical he brings on board his own men…
However, it’s in the decisions and choices made that his banality, shortsightedness and inferiority complex came to the fore! Just like Bheoly and Egbali( Chelsea owners) are now at the verge of a brutal separation due to conflict in cooperate visions and management of the club, Chelsea are about to sink into the worse period of their history despite all the billions invested over the least two years! All simply because of lack of proper people lacking at the helms of affairs! I fear Milan fate will not steer the same direction…. because this American people knows nothing about the heritage and culture of european football management’s….
I have said this many times on Sempre Milan post. Milan need an experienced CEO, Sporting Director and GM. Inter’s best signing was and still is Marotta.
These 3 stooges need to go and no more past players in management and coaching. This has been a FAILED experiment at Milan.
👍
I really don’t understand all these complaints. I’m personally excited with this new Milan team. it has only past three games and it has been a different summer for many players, so ups and downs are natural. accumulating a team with interesting potential and still keep an improved economy yearly can only be viewed as a big success with today’s regulations and restrictions (and thus not comparable with Chelsea at all). Look how we have steadily improved for a couple of years now already.
Sure, settle the transfer market earlier vs potentially getting better deals could be a topic for discussion, as well as the formation adapted to players not in physical condition yet, but what else at this point?
Over €200 million spent in 2 years and the team still has issues in all areas! That’s high incompotence.
rather have Milan stabilized in the UCL (and occasionally grabbing the top spot) than change owners frequently due to economic pressure, by spending more than they can afford. it’s at least financially healthy run right now. not every investment will be successful, but they will at least not endanger the long term vision and stadium plans
dude u’ve Empoli fans level of ambition,
jari &co is doing great if it’s happen in club such Empoli kind of clubs
To write that Maldini’s tenure is a failure is too much. During that span Milan won a Scudetto, went to UCL semifinals and he was elected Manager of the Year by people who recognized the difficulty of the job with little financial resources, debt and salary cap.
Personally, these runs for the Scudetto and UCL semifinals have been the only exciting moments as a Milan fan over more than a decade so I wouldn’t say it was a failure.
I agree on Gazidis over Furlani, but Massara, ha ha ha.
What did that guy ever do, besides choosing Origi over Kolo Muani?
All the players everyone wants to hype up were signed while Boban was at Milan for those 6 months.
When it comes to Moncada, the jury is still out on him. He has been a technical director for only 15 months.
Why don’t people check how Milan did in Maldini and Massara time for the first 15 months since they wanna hype them up so much.
Milan misses a proper, experienced, qualified sporting director, not rookies like Paolo, Zlatan, Moncada, or Massara.
The only qualified people Milan had in the last 6,7 years were Gazidis and Boban. Leonardo was worse than Mirabelli. At least players that were signed by Mirabelli contributed to Milan going back to UCL and winning the scudetto. Leonardo’s signings were just losses on the clubs books
I’m not sure why Ibrahimovic is being made a scapegoat, he’s just a cheerleader. Moncada identifies the targets, and he’s a racist, most of the blame is on him. I can’t imagine he’s going to be here next season. Furlani resigned Leao and closes contracts, again, I’m not sure why he’s being targeted.
Like this: RB are the owners of Milan and they do what they want and think is best. Do they want to destroy Milan? I doubt it because it is their capital. A fan can boycott a team and that’s it. Journalists can write what they want and that’s all they can do. For me, three games is not a benchmark and I know that we have a competitive team, they just need time to get used to it (new coach, late preparations, new players). Enthusiasm does not leave only the real fans (not keyboard fans) who go to San Siro every game, 70,000 of them, who believe that the team will get better from game to game. And you continue to criticize the management and you can hate it. Will he be fired because of you? I don’t believe it. Therefore, take care of your health and leave Milan. Go to Inter, they are doing great and you won’t be upset.
Haha complete nonsense
Sorry, what’s wrong? Now let’s talk about Inter, they say there are players for two teams. How then did the second team perform in the Champions League and it is not even a shadow of the first? You are talking about a defensive midfielder, where is such a player for Inter? You are talking about the coach. Which successful coach of Milan, before taking over Milan, won something as a coach? You only know how to chatter and criticize without giving a suggestion as to who should have come as a coach and which players to bring. And then you say it’s nonsense. Are you saying that the 70,000 who go to the games are stupid, and that you, hidden behind a nickname and a keyboard, are smart?
So your argument is that fans going at the stadium know better than the rest? Do you go often to the stadium? You might be upset to learn that I live in Milan and that I attended almost every game during the 2022/23 season.
You were there when sasuolo humiliated us for two seasons at San Siro, while we had a different management and Kessie and Tonali. And you kept going? That is commendable because the club is not abandoned. Sassuolo (1:3 and 2:5) just came to mind, there are more. Defeats against Inter when they started? Last season we finished second in the Champions League in the toughest group, we didn’t pass because of goal difference (PSG and Dortmund played in the semi-finals), but we finally played competitive football, Chelsea didn’t humiliate us like the year before. Come on, be realistic. Okay. I don’t like many things either, and I write about it until the season starts, but when it starts, there’s nothing you can do about it and it’s completely pointless to talk about it. You go to support, if you don’t want to, you don’t go, because the club is private, has owners, and you can not buy tickets, souvenirs, jerseys and thus financially weaken and punish them. I gave arguments for both the players and the coach (I was rooting for De Zerbi or Motta, but they didn’t). I will support them and want them to succeed, and not want them to fail in order to satisfy my vanity and write here that I was right. There is no use in that.
i still don’t get it why here still so many people blame blame M&M about origi?
the owner who settle short budget, salary cap, free players priority & final decision of everything about money isn’t by M&M,
i they want Maldini can bring discounted CR7 & free Messi at same time.
it’s true Maldini sign origi but b4 that happen, he propose not only his name (Alvarez, Kvara etc)
Maldini in so many interview he said that he want more budget & he want sign great players.
if we end-up sign players like origi isn’t what he want but what he must have done w/ that cheap regulation from higher board (owner/ money keeper etc)
Milan he know is Milan of Dutch trio, Milan of Boban, Savicevic, Weah, Papin, Sheva, Kaka, Nesta, Pirlo, Ibra,
then do u think he want to build a dominant squad w/ players like origi?
Spot on.
A brilliant article with many inconvenient truths …..
Gazidis already have longterm vision with support from Milan legendary player like maldini. He former arsenal director who build the emirate stadium and financial stable for arsenal…
Perfect example of B people hires C, D people. Cardinale is not smart