Vincenzo Montella has been sacked by Milan after 64 games as Coach, and Football Italia takes a look back at his time in charge.
The former striker was appointed on June 19, 2016 having saved Sampdoria from relegation after a successful spell with Fiorentina.
His tenure began with a 3-2 win over Torino, with Carlos Bacca grabbing a hat-trick and Gianluigi Donnarumma saving a last-minute penalty from Andrea Belotti.
Vincenzo Montella has been sacked by Milan after 64 games as Coach, and Football Italia takes a look back at his time in charge.
The former striker was appointed on June 19, 2016 having saved Sampdoria from relegation after a successful spell with Fiorentina.
His tenure began with a 3-2 win over Torino, with Carlos Bacca grabbing a hat-trick and Gianluigi Donnarumma saving a last-minute penalty from Andrea Belotti.
Despite successive defeats to Napoli and Udinese, a young Rossoneri side started the season well, and a 1-0 win over Juventus on October 22 even had some Milanisti dreaming of an unlikely Scudetto challenge.
Another win over the Bianconeri in the Supercoppa Italiana brought even more belief, as well as a first piece of silverware since 2011.
However, four defeats in a row between January and February put paid to any hope of challenging for the title, and a run of just three wins in 10 games put Europa League qualification in jeopardy, but Milan eventually managed to finish in sixth place, pipping Inter to the final European spot by a point.
While a record of 18 wins in 38 Serie A games may not have been up to the standards of the great Milan sides, fans understood there were mitigating circumstances for Montella.
Years of underinvestment in the squad had the Rossoneri relying on youngsters like Donnarumma, Manuel Locatelli and Davide Calabria, so inconsistent form was to be expected.
Futhermore, a takeover by a Chinese consortium was repeatedly delayed, creating uncertainty over the future of the club.
When Yonghong Li’s group did eventually take over in April, they affirmed their faith in Montella for the work he had done in difficult circumstances.
In May of this year, his contract was extended by a year, taking him to June 30, 2019.
A big summer spending spree followed, with Leonardo Bonucci, Lucas Biglia, Nikola Kalinic and others arriving for a total spend of over €200m.
It was immediately made clear that qualification for the Champions League was the minimum objective this season, with the associated revenue needed to meet the new owners’ financial targets.
While some fans touted the Diavolo for a Scudetto challenge, the board maintained that fourth was the minimum aim for this season, with CEO Marco Fassone admitting last month that “one or two top players” would have to be sold if Milan missed out.
The season started well for Montella and his new look Rossoneri, with four wins from the first five Serie A games.
The one defeat in that run though, a 4-1 loss to Lazio, was perhaps a harbinger of things to come.
Since the 2-0 win over Spal on September 20, the Diavolo have managed just two Serie A wins, neither of which came in front of their own fans.
Wins at Chievo and Sassuolo bought Montella some breathing space, but the pressure never really let up after consecutive losses to Sampdoria, Roma and Inter across September and October.
If defeat to Napoli in Week 13 could have been expected, a drab 0-0 draw with Torino couldn’t be accepted.
Immediately after the match there were reports that the Coach would be sacked, with Primavera Coach Gennaro Gattuso to replace him.
This morning that decision was confirmed, with Montella relieved of his duties after 64 games as Milan boss.
In that time he achieved a win percentage of 50, and while he actually improved that stat this season – 56.52 per cent compared to 46.34 per cent last season – the summer spending campaign meant it was never going to be enough for Montella to keep his job.