On this day in 2019, AC Milan hired Stefano Pioli as their new head coach. The appointment was heavily criticised at the time, but it has been a successful journey for the Rossoneri since.
After Marco Giampaolo was sacked, many fans were calling for Luciano Spalletti to replace him. However, Paolo Maldini decided to go with Pioli instead and the hashtag #PioliOut was trending for days on social media afterwards.
In hindsight, it was a very good decision by the club icon. Pioli is one of the most successful managers in the club’s history, taking them back to the Champions League, winning the Scudetto and reaching the UCL semi-finals.
Out of the 198 games managed, Milan came away with all three points in 111 of them, drawing 478 and losing 40. This gives Pioli an average points per game of 1.92, which is on par with Carlo Ancelotti.
The start to this season has certainly been successful, winning every single game in the league except the derby. Pioli will now be able to celebrate his four-year anniversary with some peace and quiet thanks to the international break, obviously aided by the first place in the standings.
