WHAT’S WRONG WITH AC MILAN RIGHT NOW?
Last season, AC Milan managed to defy all odds and win the Serie A title—a trophy that had eluded the Rossoneri for 11 years. Today, AC Milan sits in sixth place with a whopping 18-point deficit from first-placed Napoli.
There are very few other staggering examples of a champion falling from grace, which is why we at LV BET decided to dedicate a post to the troubles surrounding AC Milan. For more interesting articles covering important events in the football world, visit the LV BET Sports Blog.
PRE-SEASON ENTHUSIASM
After the Scudetto celebrations that saw a deluge of red-and-black-wearing fans swarming around the Duomo in Milan, it was time to prepare for the 2022/23 season. With enthusiasm pulsating through its fanbase, AC Milan seemed intent on making the next step in its growth. Paolo Maldini, the club’s sporting director, was clear about his intentions for the club, “With two or three great players, we can strive to compete well in the Champions League.”
Aspirations are only useful if they lead to concrete results. Unfortunately, AC Milan didn’t even try to land the top players Maldini alluded to. Instead, it lost two of its own; club captain Alessio Romagnoli headed to Lazio while Franck Kessie joined Barcelona—both leaving the club as free agents. Apart from the financial damage these losses led to—Romagnoli and Kessie being valued at a combined €50m—two large vacuums were created, vacuums which ended up not being filled by the end of the transfer window.
AC Milan signed Charles De Ketelaere, Malick Thiaw, Aster Vranckx, Divock Origi and Sergino Dest—troves of young players who were yet to prove themselves in the upper echelons of football, save for Origi. With the hope that club tactician Stefano Pioli would work his magic yet again, AC Milan began the 2022/23 campaign.
EARLY WORRIES AND INJURIES
AC Milan kicked things off with a 4-2 home win against Udinese. Despite the triumph, several pundits voiced their ominous thoughts about the team’s poor defensive display compared to the season prior. The Rossoneri had conceded just two goals from the last 11 games of the 2021/22 season, whereas they had conceded the same number of goals in just 45 minutes against Udinese.
Two away draws ensued; one against a compact Atalanta side and the other against Sassuolo. “We tried to hurry things up. We didn’t play our usual football,” said Pioli after the latter game. Some fans began murmuring that the team wasn’t what it used to be, but others were quick to squash the criticism, stating that the season had only just begun. A 3-2 win against Inter reminded everyone that the Rossoneri are the reigning champions for a reason.
The phantom that haunts AC Milan on a yearly basis quickly returned to action: injuries. Up against Chelsea in the Champions League, AC Milan was short of Simon Kjaer, Alexis Saelemaekers, Davide Calabria, Mike Maignan, Alessandro Florenzi, Theo Hernandez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Junior Messias. This, coupled with some baffling play from the AC Milan players, resulted in a heavy 3-0 defeat. Some days later, a 2-0 win over rivals Juventus quieted the critics once again.
STRUGGLES AND EVENTUAL COLLAPSE
A war between AC Milan critics and die-hard fans had been storming throughout the season. Critics were adamant that many of the club’s positive results were mainly products of raw luck rather than the convincing displays of the previous season. Last-gasp wins against Empoli, Spezia and Fiorentina and a goalless draw against newly promoted Cremonese were clear signals that something was wrong. Pioli’s men appeared flustered and tired, problems that fans hoped would be resolved after the World Cup break.
While the World Cup was underway, AC Milan planned several friendly matches, the first of which was against Serie D side Lumezzane. The Rossoneri struggled greatly, only managing a 3-2 win—although many youth players were fielded in this game, AC Milan’s starters had their fair share of game time. A trip to Dubai awaited, with friendlies against Arsenal and Liverpool planned in the space of three days. AC Milan lost 2-1 and 4-1 to Arsenal and Liverpool, respectively, making the talent gap between AC Milan and top European clubs even more blatant.
The last friendly of the season break was held against PSV Eindhoven, but AC Milan was trampled down by a scoreline of 3-0. Maldini was seen shaking his head in contempt during the match, clearly dissatisfied with the team’s performance.
The Serie A then continued its course. After a semi-convincing 2-1 win against Salernitana, AC Milan hosted AS Roma at the San Siro. Goals from Pierre Kalulu and Tommaso Pobega elated the fans, but only until AS Roma’s Ibanez and Abraham delivered a punch to the gut in the dying minutes of the game. Dazed and confused, AC Milan players left the pitch amidst the incredulous realisation that a game they had dominated ended up in a futile 2-2 draw.
FREEFALL
AS Roma’s shocking double was the catalyst for a storm. AC Milan ended up booted out of the Coppa Italia against a 10-man Torino side. Away to Lecce, the Rossoneri only managed a 2-2 draw after going behind 2-0 by half-time—a result that could have been even worse if Lecce’s attack had been more clinical.
At this point, AC Milan’s weak spots were blatant to everyone but the person that mattered: Stefano Pioli. The Italian tactician was intent on maintaining his side’s 4-2-3-1 formation ahead of the Super Cup clash against Inter, even though the defence was becoming increasingly easy to tear into.
A shambolic display in Saudi Arabia led to a 3-0 loss to Inter, with a 4-0 loss to Lazio following shortly thereafter. “We’ve just won the Scudetto, we’re in second place, and we’ve still got the Champions League to play. Questioning the coach is a very ugly thought,” boasted Maldini after the game in Rome.
The culmination of AC Milan’s troubles was brought to fruition five days later, when the Rossoneri faced crisis-ridden Sassuolo, who had only won once in the previous 11 games. AC Milan was dealt a humiliating 5-2 defeat at home, marking one of the worst defeats in the club’s glamorous history. Fans headed for the exits before the final whistle, AC Milan’s distraught players lifted their hands apologetically, while Pioli wished the ground would swallow him. Maldini dodged requests for an interview, whereas the ever-absent club board was nowhere to be seen.
“What worked for two years isn’t working right now,” admitted Pioli, “I’ll make opportune decisions.” One such decision left many scratching their heads, benching Rafael Leao in a flat 3-5-2 formation up against Inter in the Serie A. After barely making it out of their own half, the Rossoneri succumbed to yet another defeat to their city rivals.
THE PROBLEMS WITH AC MILAN
AC Milan’s woes can be condensed into a list, but this isn’t to say that they are easy to solve.
- No adequate substitute for Mike Maignan
- No replacements for Romagnoli and Kessie
- Very small budget for transfers
- No adequate game time for new recruits
- Inexistent club board
- Consistent string of injuries
- Poor game plans
- Frequent in-game substitution mistakes
- Frequent formation mistakes
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO AC MILAN?
The writing on the wall might not make Maldini very happy. Throughout his coaching career, Pioli has never managed to turn his team’s tides when a crisis of this proportion headed its way. During his brief stint at Inter, a run of seven winless games had led him to the axe. At Fiorentina, it took him eight winless games to face the same fate. With his current winless streak at seven games, what is AC Milan’s board waiting for? Well, here’s the problem.
At the end of October 2022, Pioli signed a contract extension, tying him to the club until 2025. With his wage increased to €4m per year, AC Milan is wary that, should Pioli see the exit, the club will have to keep paying him until his contract expires. With the UEFA Financial Fair Play cracking down on clubs spending more than their income allows, AC Milan sits between a rock and a hard place, but this time, it can only blame itself.
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