Only a year after guiding Milan to the Scudetto, and despite taking them to the Champions League semi-finals, serious questions are being asked about coach Stefano Pioli, Apollo Heyes writes.
The 57-year-old Italian coach guided the Rossoneri to their first league title in a decade last campaign, finally taking them back to the top of Italian football after a difficult 10-year period, but things have not been as positive this season for coach or club.
In the early stages of the 2022-23 season, Milan initially looked like they could put up a strong fight with Napoli in the title race, allowing Pioli’s stocks to stay high, but things quickly collapsed after the World Cup break, allowing the Partenopei to run away with the Scudetto.
Considering Napoli’s dominance, some Milan fans were willing to forgive Pioli’s inability to maintain Milan’s momentum in Serie A, but soon second became third and then fourth in the league table. Now, with just three games left to play, the team sit outside the Champions League spots in fifth, four points behind Lazio.
The 57-year-old Italian coach has found some redemption on the European front, taking the Rossoneri to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2007, when they ultimately lifted the trophy after taking revenge on Liverpool in the final.
Considering this, then, why are media reports now suggesting that Milan are planning to replace Pioli in the summer, possibly with the out-of-work Antonio Conte?
The first reason is an obvious one. The top four race. Whilst Milan finally broke their Scudetto wait last season, they have not maintained that level this season, with an over-reliance on individual moments from players like Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud plainly apparent.
The coach’s tactical decisions have been questioned on numerous occasions. After going on a four-game winless streak in January, Pioli decided to make some changes, switching from his usual 4-2-3-1 formation to a 3-4-2-1 system. This briefly paid off, before a three-match winless run pushed him to move back to the 4-2-3-1.
His decision to start star winger Leao on the bench for the losses to Sassuolo and Inter in this period did little to help matters, and his inability to get the best out of the 23-year-old also drew further criticism.
Milan’s miserable 2-0 loss to Inter in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals brought Pioli’s limits to the forefront as well, showing how he needs the individual moments for games to work out. His work has now left the squad with a mountain to climb in the second leg, piling on the pressure.
There has also been the suggestion that Pioli may have taken Milan as far as they can go with him at the helm. There’s no denying that the Italian coach did a wonderful job taking the team out of their ‘banter era’ and back to the upper echelons of Serie A, but is he really the right man to keep them at this level?
There are a few things that Pioli cannot be blamed for, however. The first of these is the poor recruitment done by Milan since their Scudetto success, starting with their work last summer. After winning the title, the club’s top signing was untested Belgian talent Charles De Ketelaere, who cost over €30m, and other new arrivals included Malick Thiaw, Divock Origi and Aster Vranckx.
The Rossoneri did well to build a squad of young and talented players, taking them to the top of Serie A, but their decision to continue relying on raw talents has left Pioli with an obvious lack of options on the bench, stopping him from truly impacting matches should the initial game plan not work out.
The second thing to note in defence of Pioli is a need for trust. Ok, the team did not do particularly well domestically this season, but taking them to the Champions League semi-finals (and possibly the final) is an impressive achievement. Coming just 12 months after his Scudetto success, it does seem harsh to dismiss the 57-year-old this summer.
Milan are now seriously considering dismissing Pioli at the end of this season, but the Champions League could provide redemption, although he’d need to overcome the odds and guide Milan not only to a strong win over Inter, but then face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the final, something that almost appears to be an impossible task.
Words: Apollo Heyes