You could forgive anyone for thinking that AC Milan’s season is fully over, despite them being in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. After all, that is the vibe Rossoneri fans have been spreading in recent days and rightfully so, after an evident decline on all fronts.
The 2024-25 campaign was meant to be the big leap for Milan, having improved their financial solidity by consistently qualifying for the Champions League. And while the second-place finish in 2023-24 perhaps didn’t say much given Inter’s 19-point gap at the top, the goal was still to compete for the Scudetto this time out.
Nothing has gone according to plan, however, and the Rossoneri now risk missing out on European football altogether. The Coppa Italia semi-final opportunity is still there, as said, but very few fans are optimistic about the team’s chances.
Rash optimism set the tone
Looking back, it’s rather evident that the management had a skewed optimism when assessing the quality of the team. While the foundation was decent at the end of last season, and some good additions were made in the summer, only a few of the arrivals were seen as immediate starters.
Alvaro Morata was obviously one of the them, even if few saw him as a long-term solution to Milan’s No.9 dilemma, and Youssouf Fofana was the other. There were good reinforcements at the time, no question about it, but both of their arrivals were heavily influenced by haggling.
In other words, in a summer when Milan truly needed to reinforce the squad, it felt like the management only half-assed it. The same applies to the process which saw the Rossoneri hire Paulo Fonseca in the end, given that he certainly wasn’t the first choice.
Thiago Motta was at the top of the wish list for a long time, as we were one of the first to reveal, but Juventus hijacked the pursuit. Milan went 16 games with just one defeat in the league (12W, 3D) and that was when they took their eye off the ball, unwilling to move in advance (as was needed).
We are seeing a difference now, by the way, as the Rossoneri have already started working on a new manager for next season. Anyway, while Fonseca was portrayed as something else to the media, the management initially didn’t see him as the first choice.
Once again, just like signings on the mercato, Milan failed to go all-in with the appointment of their new manager and it came back to haunt them. Without all due respect to Fonseca, his resume wasn’t exactly as exciting as someone like Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri or Roberto De Zerbi.
Reality has fully set in
Fast forward eight months and it’s clear that the rash optimism has clashed with reality. If we look at the odds for the Scudetto race back in August, Milan were 8/1 back then (which isn’t even that great to begin with) and now have whopping odds of 1000/1 on most bookies – as compiled by BettingLounge.
It’s an insane drop when you consider the history of the club, as well as the ambitions ahead of the season. There are many reasons for the outcome, including the aforementioned mercato and Fonseca dilemmas, but a lot of it comes down to a divided management.
Reports in recent days have suggested that the directors are getting on each other’s nerves, all wanting the club to move in different directions. It certainly doesn’t come as a surprise as Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made himself head a lot since the summer, with sporting director Antonio D’Ottavio packing his bags due to disagreements with the Swede (reportedly anyway).
If we add that fact that Fonseca was quite verbal during his time at the club, not afraid to say his mind to the media, it was bound to boil over at some point. It has been the same with Sergio Conceicao, truth be told, so at least you can’t blame the management for hiring a ‘yes-man’.
The internal pressure is only half of the story, though, as the situation hasn’t exactly been great externally either. There was already a lot of disappointment among the fans in the summer and as made clear by the Curva Sud a few days ago – brilliantly we must add – the current management has reached a breaking point.
Without the full support of the fans, it’s incredibly difficult to compete at the highest level and Milan – or at least those who have been at the club for some time – know that first-hand from the Banter Era. In short, RedBird and Gerry Cardinale must take the words of the ultras very seriously.
Where to go from here is very difficult to debate, seeing as it depends on so many factors. Will Cardinale finally change course? Will Milan even have European football next season? And will the fans get what they want (and thus return to full support)? Only time will tell…
Reality is that our next season is also over except of Copa Italia. No europe and for sure no scudeto chalange with the next team rebuild.
“Milan were 8/1 back then (which isn’t even that great to begin with) and now have whopping odds of 1000/1 on most bookies”
Speaking of odds….now Juve sneaking up the ladder and looking at making a late push for the title. One of the best title races in recent memory and we’re nowhere to be found