AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has hinted that he is not worried about his future at the club as he maintained his professional stance on matters.
There is all kinds of speculation in the media at present regarding another revolution at the end of the season, with most outlets in agreement that Ralf Rangnick will arrive as the club’s new manager – a join role as head coach and sporting director.
These rumours will have no doubt been disruptive for the squad and in particular Pioli, who has done a sound job since his appointment back in October following Marco Giampaolo’s disastrous start to the season.
However, speaking ahead of Friday’s Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Juventus, Pioli admitted uncertainty surrounding his role is nothing unusual for him.
“In the past, in my previous experiences, it was very rare with 14 games left to play for me to know what my professional future would be,” he said (via Milan’s Twitter account).
“I have a single clear objective in my mind: to do my best and get the most out of the season, we still have important objectives.”
The Thursday headlines were dominated by reports of a heated confrontation between CEO Ivan Gazidis and the Milan squad at Milanello on Wednesday, during which he apparently addressed the rumours surrounding Pioli’s future.
“It was necessary because we had an open face-to-face to discuss varying issues. It’s always the best way to handle things, even if we might have differing opinions.
“We are focused on our objective: to bring AC Milan back to European competition. We have two ways to achieve it: the league and the cup the fixture list means the cup is our first opportunity, so clearly we have to focus on it. That’s what we are doing. I always time I played the name on the back doesn’t matter, all that matters is the badge on our chest.”
