Pietro Mazzara believes that AC Milan’s summer ‘revolution’ is one that is at risk of setting the club back years due to the wrong choices made.
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It has been a case of two steps forward and three steps back for Milan in the league so far this season. Each time they look like turning a corner, they come crashing back down to earth with a damaging defeat, like the Atalanta one on Friday.
The result is that Milan have taken just five points from 18 available against the six sides above them this season so far. They are nine points behind Fiorentina in fourth, and 12 behind Atalanta who are now top.
Mazzara published his weekly column for MilanNews and – in addition to revealing that Gian Piero Gasperini would have come to Milan in the summer if he were asked – he spoke about the state of the project.
“A cultural all-in that is taking Milan out of its dimension. The defeat in Bergamo on Friday night is yet another proof that this season is seriously in danger of going to waste and that the asterisk in the standings due to the postponement of the match with Bologna cannot, is not and must not be an alibi for what is happening,” he said.
“It is easy to get excited about the victories against Empoli and against the reserves of Sassuolo, but then comes the harsh truth: this Milan is behind Atalanta, Inter and Napoli and will have to fight hard to try to grab fourth place to stay in the Champions League.
“If this situation does not occur, there is a risk of a resounding fall into the abyss that puts the club and team in front of a very significant downsizing with accompanying changes of direction, from all points of view.
“It is not cosmic pessimism, it is not wanting to row against, it is the sad reality of what is seen over the course of the weeks on the pitch. The team has shown, for yet another year, to be poorly assembled, the environment around it is inspired by the Premier League, but in Italy things work differently.
“We need people on the field, we need a real sporting director who is at Milanello and who can make decisions, technical and managerial and for the mercato, alongside Moncada. We cannot leave the team to its own devices, its playing problems but also its environmental ones.
“Who knows what Gerry Cardinale thinks of all this. Who knows what he said to Ibrahimovic, Furlani and Moncada on the trio’s trip to New York. Who knows if he really realises how serious the situation is inside Milan and at Milan, with his investment at risk of depreciating dramatically if they don’t qualify for the Champions League.
“Who knows if anyone will ever take public responsibility for the summer choices made, from the coach to Emerson Royal. The post-Pioli era had to be different, because in Italy foreign coaches, unless they are top managers, don’t win and always do poorly in terms of results.”