A toe-to-toe race with city rivals Inter ended up favourably for AC Milan on May 22, 2022. The Rossoneri returned to the throne of the Italian top flight for the first time since the 2010/11 season, renewing long-lost hope within the fanbase and fuelling even more hunger for silverware in the upcoming 2022/23 season. Nevertheless, AC Milan went on to terribly disappoint its fans in almost every competition. From a horror loss to 10-man Torino in the Coppa Italia to a 3-0 trashing in the Supercoppa against Inter, this is what the 2022/23 campaign had in store for AC Milan.
FLUFFED PLANS BEGET POOR OUTCOMES
Technical director Paolo Maldini and sporting director Ricky Massara counted down the days of their contract, which were set to expire on July 1, 2022. The delays were owing to back-and-forth arguments about more decision-making power and a larger transfer budget to further bolster the squad. As the last hours of their contract scurried away, unrest grew. While other clubs had already mapped out and executed transfers, AC Milan was immobilised by the two people it relied on the most. Sometime close to midnight, Maldini and Massara signed their contract extensions, putting an end to one of the many sagas that awaited fans in the 2022/23 campaign.
Having started the summer transfer market on the back foot, fans anticipated a pedal-to-the-metal drive for targeted transfers from the AC Milan management. Instead, Maldini chased Club Brugge for ostensible wonderkid Charles De Ketelaere, spending a month on a futile haggle that saw the Rossoneri pay the Belgians’ initial asking price of €36m. The signings of Malick Thiaw, Aster Vranckx, Divock Origi and Sergino Dest ensued; this was deemed an unconvincing haul by many fans. Nevertheless, both the management and fans hoped that coach Stefano Pioli would work his magic.
For a while, it worked. AC Milan kept a solid record in the early stages of the season; no thanks to the new signings, however. In fact, Pioli ended up discarding the summer transfers in favour of his trusted 11 who had secured him the Scudetto the year prior. The team tried to keep up with a supersonic Napoli side that seemed to dominate every fixture without fail. The early signs of a collapse started in the dying months of 2022, but AC Milan’s crumbling happened in January 2023. After going two up against AS Roma at home, the Roman side struck back twice late on to secure a draw. Then, disaster struck.
THE MONTH THAT RUINED EVERYTHING
January was to be a month that would make or break AC Milan’s season. After a patchy end to the year, the Rossoneri wanted to use the World Cup break to hit the ground running. With some important cup fixtures scheduled in January, Pioli’s side faced a do-or-die situation.
The Coppa Italia fixture against Torino promised a good opportunity for some new signings to make their tardy mark on the season. Despite that, the team resembled eleven schoolboys having a kick of football during lunch break. As fans anticipated a heart-racing penalty shootout after AC Milan failed to break down 10-man Torino, a counter-attack sealed the deal in favour of the Granata. AC Milan was booted out of the Coppa Italia in the first fixture.
A week later, AC Milan faced city rivals Inter in the Supercoppa—a one-game tie which could have added to the Rossoneri’s cluttered but rarely used trophy cabinet. AC Milan’s run of form, combined with Pioli’s questionable tactics, resulted in a humiliating 3-0 defeat. The Nerazzurri ran through the Rossoneri defence like a knife through butter—something that was to happen many more times throughout the season.
Some respite from the agony did come in February, when Pioli tweaked the team’s tactics and formation; Malick Thiaw ended up being the diamond in the summer transfer rough. The Rossoneri battled well in the UEFA Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli, progressing to the semi-finals for the first time since 2007. Unfortunately for AC Milan, Pioli’s kryptonite awaited: Inter. The Nerazzurri ran rampant again, toying with the Rossoneri defence for the majority of the combined 180 minutes and winning 3-0 on aggregate. The only silver lining for the Rossoneri was Manchester City’s triumph over Inter in the final, a feat celebrated by some fans as if the Rossoneri themselves were the Champions League winners.
NO END TO THE DISAPPOINTMENT
AC Milan ended the season with four wins out of five, including a 1-0 triumph against eternal rivals Juventus. Despite finishing fifth, the Rossoneri were granted a step up to fourth place and Champions League qualification thanks to a 10-point deduction to the Old Lady. Had Juventus not faced this penalty, AC Milan would have been one of the first teams to fail to qualify for the UCL after having won the league a season prior.
Few Rossoneri fans were impressed with this feat. Moreover, fans had to say goodbye to legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a tear-jerking ceremony on the last matchday. The Swede’s opportune retirement was a heartache for many, but there was more of that to come.
On June 6, 2023, Maldini and Massara were sacked by club owner Gerry Cardinale following age-old disagreements in transfer strategies, budgeting and decision-making responsibilities. Maldini is a club legend, lauded by the whole world for his career as a player and adored by AC Milan fans for helping to bring home the first Serie A title in 11 years. The departure of the two directors sowed a seed of angst within Rossoneri fans, which went on to materialise with the sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle.
If the departures of Ibrahimovic and Maldini weren’t enough, Tonali’s premature exit hit home for many Rossoneri fans. Highly regarded as the future captain and club wonderboy, Tonali was supposed to carry the Rossoneri colours for many more years to come. The Italian midfielder has been an AC Milan supporter since childhood, even going so far as to reduce his salary expectations considerably when signing for the Rossoneri. Nevertheless, a rich offer from up-and-comers Newcastle didn’t warrant too much thinking from the club board, who agreed to a reported €60m transfer fee.
OKAY, AC MILAN, WHAT NOW?
It is safe to say that the 2022/23 season was almost a complete failure for AC Milan, who only got itself over the line thanks to Juventus’ shortcomings. The club faces some very big expectations after depriving fans of club icons like Maldini and Tonali. With the signings of Marco Sportiello and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, we can see that the cogs have already started turning, but will they continue to do so in a functional way? Only time will tell.
LV BET
Read up on the latest scoops of live sports and esports at the LV BET Sports Blog, where you can keep informed about the latest news and announcements in the world of sports.
*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing