MN: Milan are standing by Pioli for now but there are alternatives – the available coaches

By Euan Burns -

AC Milan and Stefano Pioli have been thrust into the limelight in a negative sense after the draw against Salernitana, with the coaches’ future now under serious review. 

Milan are reported to be reviewing his position more than ever because the team only got a 2-2 draw thanks to a very late equaliser from Luka Jovic.

The repetitive muscle injuries and the inconsistent results mean that the end could be near for Pioli, but he is expected to be given at least until the next match against Sassuolo on December 30.

Whilst a sacking is not imminent, Milan will have been thinking about potential replacements for the coach and there are plenty of good options who are without a club right now, as put together by Milan News.

– Franck Lampard

– Graham Potter

– Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

– Joachim Löw

– Hansi Flick

– Antonio Conte

– Julen Lopetegui

– Igor Tudor

– Dunga

– Ralph Hasenhüttl

Depending on your persuasion, there is little in that list which sparks massive excitement. Antonio Conte has immense pedigree but would be a very different type of coach.

Graham Potter has worked outside of the UK before and is known to be ready for a return to management. He would also match the data-led recruitment methods that Milan are now using.

Julen Lopetegui has a certain amount of pedigree and is regularly linked with some of the top jobs in Europe.

Tags AC Milan Stefano Pioli

38 Comments

  1. who wrote this, none of those managers are an upgrade why tf would Milan pay someone double/triple current wages for a downgrade, Potter himself was on a 14m/yr contract.

    Change also is best done in the summer

      1. No need for exchange of words. But imo, non of those coaches are worth it exception can be Flick.
        Conte is not Milan criteria and too much of a cry baby.
        Low has been a national coach. Club coaching is a different ball game.

        1. Conte is a proven winner in Serie A. He lacks in Europe. He’s no couch potato though. He would be expensive and likely wouldn’t get the players he would ask for.

      2. yeah idiot Conte and his 1 QF CL appearance in 15 years and with triple the wages is exactly what Milan needs

        comment by comment its easy to see you barely watch football

      3. True…. but Low or Flick or Conte are currently unemployed for a reason. How did Low’s and Flick’s and even Hansi’s last stint work out? Crash & Burn, right? Kind of what is happening with Pioli.

  2. Franck Lampard- We will get relegated

    Graham Potter- No

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer- No

    Joachim Löw- Will he even consider joining?

    Hansi Flick- Good option but same as Low

    Antonio Conte- Demands too high asked for 8M/y from Napoli

    Julen Lopetegui- No

    Igor Tudor- Good short term option

    Dunga- who???

    Ralph Hasenhüttl- Don’t know much about him so can’t comment

    1. Dunga is Brazil’s last real successful coach and one of Brazil’s most successful captains of all time, the fact that you don’t know who he is is surprising, not to judge. Not just surprising it’s a bit alarming to be honest.

      1. I mean nothing wrong with me not knowing who he is because:-
        1. He hasn’t managed a team since 2016
        2. Never managed a club in Europe

    2. Dude, we’re not set up for coaches who play 3-5-2/5-3-2. We don’t even have two senior CBs available for a formation which starts three and needs at least another three on bench. We’d have to retool the entire squad. This would be difficult and ridiculous as is, nevermind impossible in the January window. Conte, Tudor and anyone else using 3-5-2/5-3-2 and their variants should not be considered.

      Of this list I think Flick and Lopetegui would be best. However, none of these coaches want to be caretakers. Are we ready to commit to any of them for 2.5 seasons? I’m becoming convinced that Motta is the future, and he won’t come until June. So the big issue is finding an able coach who can get us there and won’t expect a long term contract. Unfortunately, as much as I’m beginning to hate Pioli, I think we’re stuck with him unless this situation becomes an emergency. We are, after all, still in 3rd place. As long as we’re actually in the top 4, it becomes difficult to part with Pioli, even if we want to. To be sure, I want him gone, but the alternatives are very unclear right now.

    3. Yes, no to Potter. But De Zerbi is a genius. From what I remember De Zerbi took his team that was already doing amazing…Random giberish..

  3. Dunga is a weird one, he hasn’t seen major honours since the 2000’s as a coach. And he will make us Ultra Defensive, even more so than Conte which is why Brazilians hated him even though he brought them 4 Major trophies. We need a steady hand, Low and Flick seem to be the best options, if the team wants success in Europe I’m not sure Conte is the way to go considering his dismal record in European football. The rest of those English coaches are ridiculous and will cost us more than just top 4, under them we might not see Europe at all, there’s a reason why no English coach has made inroads in their own league, all they know is kick and run football.

  4. The coach needs to be familiar with Italian football. However, it can’t be someone who thinks he is upper class and doesn’t connect with players which rules Conte out.

    Thiago Motta fits the bill.

  5. That’s a terrible candidate choice… I wouldn’t want either of those to coach Milan… Not to mention, it would be hard to see Milan pay that kind of money to either of these…

  6. To me Pioli has lost it already the best coach I feel Acmilan will get to boost the team is the like of Hans flick,Julen lopetugui or raphl hassentil

  7. I know he’s not jobless, but would Galtier be a choice? I remember when we faced Lille and that might be a game in that season where we got outclassed in every single position and aspect. And considering how French Milan is now, might as well get a French manager.

  8. The only one who is realistic as a caretaker is Tudor. Pioli beat him twice and out-coached him with putting Tonali forward which lead to Tonali scoring a brace.
    Of course Pioli also had a much better squad in those games, but still Tudor is most likely an inferior coach.

    1. Tudor is taking over Napoli next season if Conte refuses the Napoli offer. He would have already been their coach if he didn’t ask for a longer contract.

    1. If I remember correctly he left them 4th in Premier League when he left. Why do you think he would be bad and De Zerbi will be great at a bigger club?

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