Arrigo Sacchi underlined how Milan ‘aren’t a collective’ and suggested that one of the reasons for this is star winger Rafael Leao.
The Rossoneri had started the season well but a 5-1 Derby della Madonnina collapse and a goalless draw in their Champions League opener against Newcastle caused concern amongst supporters.
Stefano Pioli’s side did bounce back with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday, but patience is starting to wear thin with the coach as the Scudetto race starts to take shape. Milan’s next test is against Cagliari on September 27.
Writing on page 32 of today’s Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi explained why he wasn’t feeling positive after the win over Hellas Verona and how Leao limits Milan’s ability to work as a cohesive unit.
“At the end of the game a friend of mine phoned me and said: ‘Now you’ll be happy, Milan won. I said, ‘Not much’. ‘Why?’ he asked me. The answer was easy: ‘Because I saw Milan still struggling’.
“I’m not enchanted by the result, even though beating Verona is never easy. The problem is that Pioli’s team are still not a collective.
“Being a collective means having eleven active players with and without the ball, it means pressing, it means not launching it, it means keeping the ball low to the ground, it means always moving.
“Milan must be like an accordion, they must know how to start and finish at the right moment. The collective, despite those that think otherwise, enhances the talent, not imprisoning it.
“If, on the other hand, there’s no collective, that is, no team game, talent alone is of little use. This is a lesson that everyone should learn, but in Italy I see that few have understood it.
“The defeat in the derby, so clear-cut, certainly caused some problems in the environment. That’s normal. How do we get out of it? With work, with training, with effort. Provided that everyone gives their all, that they give their soul to the work they do.
“And here we come to the second important point of the question: how are the Milan players? Are they functional to the coach’s project? I hope so, I hope Pioli has chosen them according to their technical and human characteristics.
“It is fundamental to know the players above all as people, because you know exactly what they can give you. When I arrived at Milan, I asked for the transfers of those who didn’t fit into my ideas of how to play or who didn’t respect the normal behaviour of a professional.
“The club, with me, was exceptional: they accommodated me in everything, helped me, supported me. The same must happen now with Pioli, because the coach needs time to assemble the team, there are so many new faces, patience is needed.
“You can’t get everything right away. You need a learning period and a break-in period. What I’ve noticed is that Milan still lack the necessary balance. I had already seen it in the derby, where they were surprised by Inter‘s attitude and didn’t have the strength to counter it.
“And even against Verona they proved to have several flaws. The attackers don’t track back in the non-possession phase; the defenders, when they have the ball, throw long balls, it’s not clear what kind of move they intend to set up.
“It seems to me that there is a bit of confusion and here it is up to Pioli to bring order, to give precise lines, to show that he is the first to believe in the ideas he proposes to his boys. Leao scored a nice goal, but today Milan exist mainly for the Portuguese winger and this is a limit.
“Leao, with his way of being on the pitch, with his lack of tracking back, with his lack of participation in the work of the group, is what doesn’t allow you to become a collective.
“If you want to make a qualitative leap, in the direction of a more European football, it is fundamental that everyone is functional to the project and that everyone knows how to sacrifice themselves in the name of the team.
“Let’s say that the Rossoneri are trying hard to improve, but there are still many steps to take. On the other hand, a drubbing like the one they suffered in the derby, with all that it entailed, cannot be digested quickly.”
Milan’s next outing in the Champions League is against Borussia Dortmund on October 4, and three weeks later they’ll travel to France to face Paris Saint-Germain.
Sometimes, you need a slap in the face to see the truth. The derby obviously showed that Milan players still need more time to gel. Forget the “CL is in Milan’s DNA” thing, that was then, this is now. Forza Milan !
The Guppy is a Diva!
As for that purple shirt abomination!
Yah Milan talking about the Cl, is so dumb, clutching pearls, clinging to past.
Its the sound of such desperation when milan say they bring up past CL titles from 30 years ago. Man utd is the same.
Leao and theo are not team players. Its A Shame they cant be dropped. Teach them a lesson