The winds of change are blowing through the red and black half of Milan as AC Milan contemplates its coaching future. There is a growing sense that even if Pioli manages a Europa League triumph – the best possible outcome left for Milan this season – his tenure at the helm has simply run its course.
Let’s take a look at the three most likely scenarios in terms of linked managerial changes that have circulated with a comparison of potentially sticking with Pioli or choosing one of Motta or Conte to take Milan forward into the next iteration of the Rossoneri.
Stefano Pioli: The ‘Normal One’
Stefano Pioli has been at the helm of Milan for almost five years, a period marked by incremental progress and a return to the upper echelons of Italian football. The club’s resurgence under Pioli’s guidance has been attributed to his favoured formation – a dynamic 4-2-3-1 system, with a recent change to a 4-3-3.
This tactical consistency has provided the players with a sense of stability, allowing them to grow individually and as a team. Pioli’s 4-2-3-1 and more recently the 4-3-3 has seen Milan adopt a possession-based style with quick transitions. Often relying on Leao and Theo’s left-sided excellence and Giroud’s ‘bomber’ status in the box.
Pioli has shown adaptability by favouring new acquisitions in players such as Loftus-Cheek and Reijnders, natural box-to-box players that have evolved Pioli’s style. Moreover, his somewhat forced trust in youth this season due to injuries has shown he can trust in lesser-proven players when needed.
Pioli’s understanding of the club’s ethos, cultivated over his tenure, is an invaluable asset. The continuity he offers ensures that the current squad’s cohesion remains intact. The players are well-versed in his philosophy, and Pioli’s man-management skills have fostered a positive atmosphere within the dressing room.
However, the question remains whether Pioli can take the Rossoneri to the next level, or if his approach has reached its zenith.
Thiago Motta: Bologna’s Stylish 4-2-3-1
Thiago Motta’s coaching philosophy mirrors his playing days – dynamic, attacking, and possession-oriented. At Bologna, Motta has implemented a 4-2-3-1 formation that emphasizes high pressing and fluid positional play. The central midfield pairing is crucial for ball circulation, while the attacking trio aims to unlock defences through intricate combinations.
Motta’s system relies on the full-backs pushing high, and the wingers cutting inside to create overloads in central areas. The attacking midfielder operates between the lines, linking play and creating goal-scoring opportunities. The success of Motta’s approach hinges on players with technical proficiency and versatility.
For Milan, adopting Motta’s system would require a seamless transition and some minor potential personnel changes. The full-backs and central midfielders need to be adept at both defensive solidity and offensive contribution.
The question remains: Can Motta’s attacking philosophy be seamlessly integrated into Milan’s current squad, and will the players adapt to a more expansive style? Most importantly, will Motta be able to take the step to a top European club, especially with his ex-Inter cult status? He certainly seems to be the favourite.
Antonio Conte: The Pragmatic 3-5-2 Maestro
Antonio Conte is synonymous with the 3-5-2 formation, a system he has deployed successfully at Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter. The tactical setup involves three centre-backs, wing-backs providing width, and two central midfielders with attacking and defensive responsibilities.
Conte’s 3-5-2 is built on defensive solidity, rapid transitions, and exploiting wide areas. The wing-backs, often transformed full-backs, are vital in stretching opposition defences. The central midfield duo ensures a robust presence in the middle, and the two strikers form a dynamic partnership, creating overloads and exploiting defensive weaknesses.
For Milan, adopting Conte’s system would require a significant shift in personnel and playing style. The current squad, accustomed to a back four, may need time to adapt to the defensive responsibilities of wing-backs. Additionally, Conte’s system demands physical and tactically disciplined players, which might prompt changes in the current squad list.
Like Motta, another man who has not only won with Inter fairly recently, but also started the Juve 10-year dominance that arguably plagued Serie A with monotony; it is clear if Conte were to come, it would tell of a combination of self-indulgence from Conte, with the aim of becoming the first manager to win a Scudetto with the ‘Big 3 in Italy’ and a burning desire from management to stay competitive.
Even with the past ties to Milan’s biggest rivals, the true controversy of appointing Conte would be the volatility and almost inevitable air of instability that he would bring, which could spell disaster for a project that has clearly been built with sustainability in mind.
Conclusion
As Milan stand at the precipice of a coaching decision, the tactical implications loom large.
Stefano Pioli offers continuity and attacking prowess but an unabandoning sense of stagnation,
Thiago Motta promises a fresh, expansive approach but has riskiness and impatience plastered all
over it, and Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 brings defensive solidity and a proven track record, but a kindling
spark that is just bound to blow up.
Although, the tactical implications are huge and will of course underpin the majority logic behind
who is appointed, especially as Milan are a club with only so many resources and an institution that
must use the tools it already has in the best way possible; it could be argued that the appointment
should start more from a character examination as it is clear Milan need a congenial leader and one
that fosters a real ‘Group’ as Milan’s new ‘Consultant’ Zlatan would attest to.
A supreme challenge for Moncada and Furlani surely lies in aligning each coach’s tactical philosophy with the current squad’s strengths and weaknesses. The decision will not only shape the team’s style of play but also determine how seamlessly the players adapt to a new era under their chosen leader.
The tactical chessboard awaits the masterstroke that could continue Milan’s journey to glory or
set it on a path of self-destruction.
Pioli is definitely not an option moving past the summer. Conte would be an ambitious move by Cardinale considering the financial investment needed not just for Conte but the players he’ll ask for. Motta is a sensible move but with more risks attached.
The ball is in Gerry’s court.
In my view, Xabi Alanso o Bayer Leverkusen should be a great fit. I hope Milan would also consider him!
normaly Milan is 1st/2nd in the magnificent 7 clubs of serie a, final/semis of UCL, has 1 or 2 top 10 best players or BdO candidates & Milan is above normal clubs, so.. we don’t need mr. normal coach & normal act of president, we don’t need to buy bunch of mediocre players or superstar act players,
we need super players, Basten, Sheva, Kaka, Pirlo were join us without world record transfer, they are not cheap but not the most expensive & they are all worthy the price..
Milan hasn’t broken a world transfer fee since Lentini. I fail to see your point.
my point is.. stop being cheap, to be smart doesn’t mean always being cheap, we’ve enough mediocre players & mediocre staff, coach, psyo..
if you grow up from being 10 years old you’d realise its not by F**KING CHOICE THAT THEY DONT SPEND, MILAN IS CURRENTLY SANCTIONED GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK HEADS
they spend 200m in bunch of mediocre players, feels like Genoa kind of tranfers
Did you just wake up from going to sleep in 2005?
http://www.midfielddynamo.com/transfers/list_recordfees.htm
Better to be middle-aged than wrong good sir.
I wasn’t responding to you. We are actually in agreement.
i say roll the dice on Motta
Upvote.
Yes over Conte, agree.
I’d pay the $ for DeZerbi but we have no chance there.
We have d chance of Milan pay his release clause
People are delusional. Do they not know we are owned and operated under the moneyball policy of Redbird?? Motta is the only practical choice of the 3 mentioned. No way Gerry is going to spend the $$ for Conte’s high salary nor will he spend the 100M plus each window (without selling star players) to make him happy and fund his transfer campaign. Conte is a dream. We will go the cheaper route w Motta who won’t deamamd a huge salary and won’t expect much coming from Bologna. Get Motta and hopefully Zikree and see what happens.
Unless you mean Conte is a pipe dream Id argue that Conte is a nightmare 😀
Ya I’m not sure he would be the right for even if we “could” afford him – but – the point is even if he was the right fit – there is no way with our cheap owners and our money ball policy we “could” even sign a manager like him (high salary, experienced pedigree, demands big transfer spends). So that is why I said it’s a dream and will never be reality.
Yeah i got that point but wasn’t really sure if you also wanted him in AC Milan but i cant really see why it would be good if he actually did arrive. The entire squad would have to be revamped and my guess is that a player like Leao wouldn’t fit his style very well as he isn’t really that good as a cf. Besides of that i pretty much hate the 3-5-2 formation.
Pioli är hopplöst och gör bara dissar framgångsrika talanger so behöver matcher i benen.
Kajer ska starta och Simon på bänken eller litar han på Girod som knappt kan springa på planen för att han litar inte på Jovic.
Offatbart hur Pioli är kass.
Get Conte?? 🙏🙏
Motta is ideal. Conte would bring too much drama and his preferred formation doesn’t fit our current players. It would be the end of Leao. Also, Conte doesn’t trust young players so our emerging Primavera players wouldn’t get first team opportunities. Motta can continue to develop the team’s project, and the upgrade over Pioli would be more tactical awareness. Motta is doing a great job with Bologna and he’s the man we need.
I just cannot understand why some of you fans are so ungrateful and unappreciative for what our coach has accomplished…we one the scuddeto with him ,reached the semi final of the champions league with him …The fact is we have a changed team and it takes time for any team to gel together…I remember Chelsea won the champions leauge ,then they made so many changes and signed to many players ,,got another couple of coaches since ,,but haven’t moved forward..in fact they have not advanced since .We won’t either unless we stick with the coach we have poli ..I believe next season we will reap the benefits of the new players we have ,including some great talent coming through the ranks ..pioli has hep make rafeol leao the player he is developing into ,,also pulisic is in the best form of his life ,yes I give pioli the credit .
He has good communication with his players .
That’s important because we can easily full into the trap of installing a bully manager ,,and instead of communication with the team ,,he could loss the likes of pulisic and Rafeol leao …Yes they could leave .
I have seen this happen so many times in football in both junior and senior level .
The season is better than some of you are suggesting.
I fact our form in sera a is starting to improve again ,and will continue to do so when we get our players back from injury..
Let’s see how this season pans out …Getting another coach now could mean a setback ,,that could take years to recover…I am telling you all this in advance.
Truth.
Bring in a coach that believes in 4312. This is truly Milan DNA. We will have a twin pair strikeforce with a very smart AMF. Not too long ago, it’s Sheva Pippo Kaka combination.
The natural evolution for the project is Motta.
The squad is largely compatible with his approach. He brings with him the tactical evolution that makes Milan even more dangerous with the ball. Having said that his teams are very solid defensively.
Conte is who you hire when you want to be seen to be doing something. It perfectly suits the egotistical American owner spouting dumb clichés about ‘results’.
Sustainable and long periods of success are very rarely chopping and changing plans, even if it involves spending obscene amounts of money.
Conte represents a completely different approach and would require substantial investment to make multiple significant changes to the squad. That’s without the money that would be required to sign players of the calibre Conte’s demands (absent selling our most valuable and best players). Look at how he was carrying on at the end of his time at Tottenham.
You sign Conte to win something and you’re forced to commit to his style even after he has cracked it and left (unless you have top line EPL cash to change a squad quickly). You need money to do this.
The other thing that annoys me about this attitude, of just going out to sign the ‘winning’ manager, is that it ignores what generally goes in to winning squads – whether that ground work is laid by the coach that wins or a previous coach and system.
It isn’t clear to me that the tactical approach can yield the results quickly or at all without the best players. Having the best players was true of Conte’s spells at Juve and Inter.
We’re seeing Mourinho struggle. It has taken Allegri 2 seasons to make Juventus sustainable but that has not yet proven itself (as they had a strong run of results last season too). It has taken Inzaghi 2 seasons to build on what he was left and entrench consistency for Inter (and Inter is sustainable only because it can spend so much more on players then we can without having to sell its best).
How different might this season look if the club was realistic about its number 9 and if Calafiori and Terracciano had been properly scouted. Unfair as it is on Pellegrino who has been injured but maybe, just maybe, a little faith could have been shown in Gabbia, too.
Conte is just toxic for the whole AC Milan environment.
I would not want him to lead us.