“The real problem lies at the top” – Vitiello highly critical of unambitious Milan ownership

Antonio Vitiello has asked the AC Milan ownership whether they have the aim of winning, having not been in a Scudetto race for years.

For the majority of the season Milan have held on to second place in the Serie A standings, and yet they have never truly given the impression of being able to match the pace of Inter. Sure enough, they have now pulled away and are 12 points clear of their city rivals, who have slipped to third.

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What is a worry is the rate at which the Rossoneri seem to be declining, despite not having had European football this season. They have lost four of their last seven games without scoring, and now fifth place is only five points away having been nine clear two weeks ago.

Consistently a ‘huge’ gap

Vitiello published his weekly column for MilanNews, and he dedicated the entirety of it to questioning the ambition that RedBird Capital have shown, given how far off title pace they have been in the last four seasons.

“For the fourth year in a row, Milan haven’t been competitive in the league. There are still six games to go, and they’re currently 12 points behind the league leaders; last year it was 19 points, two years ago it was 19 points again, and three years ago it was a staggering 20 points,” he began.

“In short, since the 2022 Scudetto, the Rossoneri have consistently built up a huge gap behind the league leaders (over seventy points in four years!). This means Milan aren’t competitive, and since the arrival of the American fund Redbird, they’ve never been.

“These are objective data, real facts; just read the league standings and points from the last four seasons. So another year is about to pass, but the question is: dear Americans, what do you want to do with Milan? Will we continue to muddle through each season?

“Unfortunately, we already know the answer. Because we posed the same question in this editorial space in November 2024, and since then, players and coaches have changed, but Milan continue to be a poor contender in the league, and continues to fail to win a Scudetto.

“Another season will soon come to an end. Let’s hope for the Champions League, otherwise the €70m in transfer revenue from participating in Europe’s most important competition will be lost. Then there’s hope for a new transfer window. But what are the prospects? Will the same situation repeat itself next season?

“It’s clear that the public’s attitude toward Allegri has already changed; he’ll likely be the next scapegoat (?), or Leao, as in past years have been Pioli, Theo Hernandez, Fonseca, or Conceiçao. Every year there’s a culprit to be eliminated, but the real problem lies at the top of Milan. Those who manage the club, those who make managerial decisions, and those who give direction to this project.

“The Redbird fund’s American philosophy cannot be combined with Milan’s sporting ambition. Cardinale’s four years of management bear witness to this. The business model the American entrepreneur has in mind cannot match the hunger for victory and the passion of Milan fans. And be careful, because in the long run, even this would be lost. Be very careful.

“However, it’s not over yet, because something could still happen at the end of the season. There’s no guarantee anyone will stay, and the rumours that were previously circulating are now becoming more insistent. We hope this is AC Milan’s last year of purgatory, but there’s only one hope left…”