Milan will call coach Stefano Pioli and technical director Paolo Maldini into question in the event that the team fails to qualify for next season’s Champions League according to reports in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Monday morning.
Whilst a top four finish and a run to the last four of the Champions League would widely be considered a successful season, being knocked out by Inter and ending up back in the Europa League would paint a different story altogether.
Currently sat in fifth place in the Serie A table and trailing Inter by a two-goal margin after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Milan have hit a bit of a stumbling block in the final stages of the season.
There is still hope, however, given that Juventus, currently second and eight points ahead of Pioli’s men, could still be issued a points deduction, which could be enough to elevate Milan back into the division’s top four spots.
On the other hand, if they are not careful, Milan could still be caught by Roma, who are currently two points behind with three games to go, and in that case, La Gazzetta writes that doubts would begin to arise over the long-term future of the current project.
Milan overachieved last season, we’re in the CL semi final and the race for top 4 this season. This talk of Maldini and Pioli out is absolutely astonishing to real fans.