Top four and Pioli doubts highlighted by hungover Milan [Newsletter]
A hungover AC Milan failed to build on the Champions League success on Monday evening, putting in a very sluggish performance at home against Salernitana. Once again, therefore, top four as well as Stefano Pioli doubts have arisen and rightfully so.
The teams in second to sixth place all dropped points this past round. Milan were the last in action and given the results of the others, the Rossoneri fans were hoping for an assertive display at San Siro after the Champions League success. The 72k fans present got to see the exact opposite, however. As always, if you want the news bulletin straight away, scroll down!
Milan took the lead through Olivier Giroud at the very end of the first half, making the most of a corner for once (beautiful delivery by Ismael Bennacer). However, Milan simply failed to put their foot down in the second half and a collective mistake at the back ended up costing them two crucial points.
With 48 points, they currently sit in 4th place but the race is incredibly tight, with Roma just one point behind and eager to prove themselves under Jose Mourinho. The Champions League success may have softened the blow a little, but without qualification for next season Milan can kiss their dreams goodbye.
Even though they have made over €100m in UCL revenue thus far from this season - which you can read more about here - it certainly wouldn’t make up for missing out next campaign. An already restrictive summer budget would get smaller, and the management would have to fight an uphill battle to achieve success.
Amidst all of this, Pioli’s position has come under scrutiny again. The seven games without a win exposed major flaws and unfortunately, they haven’t all been dealt with properly. The big question is whether Milan should continue with three men at back or switch back to four, given the attacking struggles of especially Rafael Leao.
In any case, the managerial case is something we will look into further down the line in a bonus article here on Substack. Milan - and the media to a large extent - have been very protective of Pioli and that is indeed understandable. The exit hypothesis in the summer gets no consideration, but the reality is that the Rossoneri must be prepared for such an outcome as well (and the truth is that they are).
The Champions League quarter-finals draw will take place on Friday (12:00 CET) and it will be very exciting from a Milan perspective. The possible opponents are: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Chelsea, Man City, Inter, Napoli/Frankfurt and Real Madrid/Liverpool. However, in order to really enjoy the UCL success, Milan must improve in the league and improve their chances of competing in the prestigious competition next season as well.
News bulletin
➤ It has been a brilliant week for Milan Primavera. Not only did they beat Bologna 1-0 in the league to ease any relegation fears, but they then won 2-0 against Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Youth League quarter-final to make the final four for the first time in their history. Borussia Dortmund or Hajduk Split await in the semi-final, which will be played next month in Nyon, and head coach Ignazio Abate was beaming with pride.
➤ The Milan Women suffered a tough on Saturday as they faced Roma in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Heading into the clash with a 1-0 lead on aggregate, they lost the return game 3-1.
➤ Peppe Di Stefano spoke on Sky about Rafael Leao’s renewal before the Salernitana game, stating that everyone’s intention ‘is to move forward together’, but that a financial balance must be found, though the ‘sensations seem good’ as negotiations continue.
➤ Milan owner Gerry Cardinale spoke at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and he had some interesting thoughts about investments in the world of football, the future of Serie A and the importance of knowing how to exploit analytics when building teams.
➤ In Pietro Mazzara’s latest column for MilanNews, he reported that Milan scouts are watching Mateo Retegui, a 23-year-old striker who is currently on loan at Tigre from Boca Juniors and has scored six goals in six games this season. Those who have watched him believe he has characteristics that are ‘ideal for modern football and what Pioli wants to do’.
➤ In addition to Retegui, Milan had their eye on two Freiburg players during their Europa League game against Juventus last Thursday night, with one a right winger and the other a Kalulu-esque defender with his versatility.
In case you missed it
Make sure to check out the five things we learned from the lacklustre draw against Salernitana and our latest podcast episode, as well as the bonus podcast (only available here on Substack!).