Arrigo Sacchi has once again given his thoughts on the difficult period that AC Milan are going through after their two defeats in the past few days.
Milan came into the week knowing that the outcomes of the games against Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Napoli would say a lot about how seriously they can be taken as title candidates, and if reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League is realistic.
It has not started well. A 1-0 defeat against Juventus came on Sunday night in which Malick Thiaw was sent off after 40 minutes, and then a 3-0 loss in the French capital added more misery. It means that a response is needed tomorrow night at the Maradona against Napoli, which is easier said than done.
Sacchi gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he spoke about the Rossoneri’s tough recent results and what it says about Stefano Pioli’s side, with his comments relayed by PianetaMilan.
On Milan’s moment: “When they don’t play collectively, that is, when they’re not a team, Milan loses. Lately, every now and then, this has happened. I think of the defeats against Juve and against PSG, but also the previous one against Inter. Something needs to be corrected.”
On Pioli’s responsibilities in Milan’s bad period: “The coach is always responsible, he knows this too. The point is that Pioli must give clarity to what he wants to do. You need to explain clearly to the players how they should be on the pitch, how they should move.
“Milan must be a single block, no longer than thirty metres. So there can be collaboration between departments. If instead they want to stay long, too bad for them.”
On the defenders’ mistakes: “They go their own way. Against Juve, on the occasion of Malick Thiaw’s sending off, no one provided cover. The challenge was Thiaw against Kean. But then you don’t play zone, you are playing one on one….
“Since Franco Baresi is still at the club, let them ask him what should be done in situations like this. There is no coordination between the defenders, there are no double markings, we need to draw good diagonals that are effective.
“And the distances, which are fundamental, are not respected. Pioli must work a lot on this sector starting from a basic principle: defenders, first of all, be defenders and be in the correct positions.”
On the one-on-ones given to Kylian Mbappé: “Absurd. Just what the Frenchman wanted, who has technique and speed. Where was the doubling of marking?
“Yet I remember that last season, against Napoli, they doubled their lead and pressured Khvicha Kvaratskhelia well. The problem is that, sometimes, the Rossoneri do the right things and then forget about it.”
On what Pioli should do now to revive Milan: “First of all he must take charge of the situation and organise the team according to clear principles. The group must be united, otherwise they will end up going on a boat. United technically, tactically and in spirit.
“And then the coach must be convinced of his ideas and transmit this conviction to his boys. Show them where they went wrong, so they won’t make mistakes again. And if there is anyone who causes discord, he should keep him out. If someone doesn’t do the things required, there’s always the bench.”
On the problems of the midfield: “It’s a completely new department, they move with little harmony. Milan has changed many players this summer and those who have arrived are all foreigners. We know that in these cases a period of acclimatisation is necessary.
“Furthermore, some got injured, Ruben Loftus-Cheek comes to mind who started quite well, and someone is struggling more than expected. It requires patience. But, in the meantime, it is necessary to give clear, simple, clear ideas and rules so that no one can get confused.”
On the little pressing that Pioli’s Milan does: “Very little pressing and that’s not good because you bring the undertaker into the house. You let your opponents advance and defend in your own half of the pitch.
“If you do it against people like Mbappé it’s easy for you to go into crisis. But pressing, when done properly, is the natural consequence of a short, narrow, co-ordinated team that doesn’t give space to rivals.
“Do you know how much your self-esteem increases if you win the ball back in the offensive zone, and do you know how anxious the opponents get? When Milan won the Scudetto, they pressed, doubled, were attentive and intense. Well, I would like to see those principles applied in the field today.”
On Milan’s attack that doesn’t score in the Champions League: “Against Juve, in the league, when they were left with ten men due to Thiaw’s expulsion, the Rossoneri were no longer able to get a shot on goal.
“Yet they dominated in the first half. If a team is well organised, even when outnumbered it can bring danger to its opponents. The first thing I notice about the attackers is that they don’t track back.
“Olivier Giroud does not track back, Rafael Leão does not track back. Thus collaboration and intensity of play are lacking. And, above all, you can’t press because the team is reduced to seven-eight elements, instead of eleven.”
On the discomfort that exists in the environment that was perceived from the words of Davide Calabria: “Bad comments, those of Calabria, because it conveys an idea of confusion. Furthermore, it seems to me that those words, pronounced immediately after the match, show little respect towards the coach.
“However, and this must be underlined, they make it clear that there is something underneath, that it is not all sunshine and roses. And therefore we need to intervene as soon as possible to prevent the matter from getting complicated.
“Pioli has a difficult job ahead of him, it must be admitted, but he has the technical and moral qualities to overcome it.”
Grazie Ariggo
“Since Franco Baresi is still at the club, let them ask him what should be done in situations like this. There is no coordination between the defenders, there are no double markings, we need to draw good diagonals that are effective.”
“However, and this must be underlined, they make it clear that there is something underneath, that it is not all sunshine and roses. And therefore we need to intervene as soon as possible to prevent the matter from getting complicated.”
It will be interesting to see 30-year-old is keen on a return to the Premier League in January. The report claims that Newcastle could submit an offer as soon as the transfer window reopens
USA
Well said. In some games, they do the right thing, in others, each player does his own thing. Leao just walks on the field, like someone in his living room. I saw Giroud going back constantly to help the defense against Torino and Lazio, and that helped. Leao is our best player, no doubt, but, a lot of times, he just does what he wants. Not a Guardiola fan, but, I respect him when I see the way Leao strolls on the pitch. Pioli doesn’t have command. Reijnders is trying, but, he’s just not strong enough. The coach really needs to work on this area, and also his shooting. Midfielders not getting goals is really worrisome. Like Sacchi said, our defenders are left too many times in one-on-one situations against the opponents. For the attack, coordination, playing together, can still do it, while we wait for a new striker in January, or the summer. It’s not all gloom. The coach needs to bring out more from his players, and, also improve his tactics.