Arrigo Sacchi has held nothing back in his criticism of AC Milan, branding them ‘no longer a team’ and also finally pointing the finger at Stefano Pioli for his part in the current crisis.
Milan had to settle for a 2-2 draw against the bottom-placed side Salernitana on Friday night, with a late Luka Jovic strike earning them a point after what was an otherwise abject performance.
Fikayo Tomori got the opening goal as he bundled in a Rafael Leao cross from close range, but then Federico Fazio equalised before half-time with a header from a corner and then Antonio Candreva’s strike had Milan looking at a nightmare result.
Luka Jovic came off the bench and was on hand to smash home an equaliser with not long left in the game, but Milan are nine points behind Juventus and 11 behind Inter in the title race, which is now all but over.
Sacchi spoke during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport about Milan’s failings in Salerno and beyond that, and it would be fair to say the ex-Rossoneri head coach spoke his monind.
“When there are situations like this we don’t have to look for the culprit, but focus on the possible remedies. The managers, the coach and the players have to do it.”
What is happening at Milan?
“Simple: they’re not a team. Or rather: they are one sometimes and then it goes back to darkness. They have no continuity, too fluctuating. In Salerno there wasn’t a collective, but a group scattered around the pitch. Everyone does their own thing The defence is in difficulty because the attackers aren’t helping. This is the real problem.”
A rather complicated situation…
“I would say yes. The fact is that there are players who don’t have continuity of performance.”
And then they often get injured…
“This also depends on the fact that the game is almost never collective, but individual. When you do everything alone it is easier to encounter physical problems.”
The club are not satisfied. In these conditions, what should they do?
“I don’t think the problem will be solved by sending the coach away. Pioli has done excellent things, but he hasn’t managed to give continuity to his work. But it must be said that I don’t know if there is anyone around capable of giving continuity to this squad.”
Where is original sin?
“In my opinion, in the summer market. Only foreign players were purchased, who did not come from brilliant experiences and, moreover, they had to get used to Italian football. But we want to understand that for a boy who comes from abroad it is complicated to tune into our wavelength?
“Even great champions have had difficulties. If you build a completely new team based on foreigners, it would be necessary to have patience. But patience in football, as we know, is a rare commodity.”
Is it the fault of the management, then?
“I wouldn’t stand there and look for the responsibilities of one or the other, provided we understand, however, that we need to change direction. Here players were taken without knowing what their strengths and weaknesses were.
“A footballer, before signing him, must be evaluated, followed, known. When I took Rijkaard, I had him monitored closely for 15 days: his eating habits were also written in the report that my collaborator brought me. You have to go and see the players in person, do we want to get it into our heads?”
If you were Pioli, how would you behave?
“I would only send reliable people onto the pitch, those who give the greatest guarantees. Anyone who isn’t there should stay out. I say one thing to Milan: when there’s no moral strength, everyone goes about their own business.
“It is what it is what happened in Salerno. Therefore, let them first of all choose reliable men and with these they form a collective to which the coach will have to give a game. This is the path to follow.”
