Capello previews two decisive games for Milan and comments on ‘confusion’ in management | OneFootball

Fabio Capello believes that AC Milan’s upcoming games against Napoli and Inter will reveal a lot about the current state of the team, but he is not confident about the results.

Milan have found themselves in a position whereby all that is really left to fight for is a spot in the top four and to try and reach the Coppa Italia final. However, they are ninth in the league and six points off the Champions League places, while Inter await in the semis of the cup.

It has been a pretty disastrous campaign for the Rossoneri so far in truth, given they finished second last season. Elimination at the hands of Feyenoord in the play-off round of the Champions League certainly did not help matters, leading to talk of another imminent summer revolution.

Capello spoke in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that was published this morning and he offered his thoughts on his former club, who are in big danger of missing out on the top four.

Could Milan miss out on the Champions League?

“Milan out of the Champions League is unthinkable. Of course, just take a look at the trophy cabinet at Casa Milan to understand what the cup means to this club.

“And if I have to add a personal note, as a former Rossoneri player and coach it would hurt me not to see the team in its natural habitat, the Champions League.”

Is Napoli a complicated game?

“A lot. First of all because Conceiçao’s men can no longer afford setbacks. In fact, they are obliged to win, so they will hardly allow themselves a waiting game. They will have to attack.

“And against an opponent like Napoli, given the defensive fragilities, it can be very dangerous. Given the characteristics of the two teams, I believe that Conte is the worst opponent for Milan today.”

In what sense?

“Well, Napoli are very strong on set pieces, first of all. And then they have one player in particular who can put Conceiçao’s team in trouble: McTominay. The Scotsman is very good at making runs from behind and Milan suffers especially in these situations.  But containing Lukaku’s physicality will not be easy either.

“Then let’s go back to the outline of the match: the Rossoneri will not be able to play a waiting game, but Napoli is very good at closing spaces, because with Conte everyone sacrifices themselves in defence and then also knows how to counter-attack. It will be a very tough test.”

Which will arrive three days before the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter…

“Well, if we want to push it a bit, we can say that in the next two or three games Milan will know the definitive direction of their season. The only advantage is that there aren’t many calculations to do: with the position they’re in, the Devils can and must only win. Everything else is just idle chatter.”

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Should the assault on fourth place and the Coppa Italia final fail, will Milan be called upon to plan for the future immediately?

“Of course. Even though there isn’t a sporting director yet, so it seems complicated to think of a defined strategy already.”

After Furlani’s trip to America, it seems that the choice of the sports director will be up to the CEO…

“Oh, I really don’t know. At the start of the season I heard Ibrahimovic say with my own ears that he was the boss and he commanded everyone else. In theory, he would be Gerry Cardinale’s operational arm.

“Now, however, I read that it is the CEO Furlani who decides. From the outside, the feeling is that there is a bit of confusion: who is really in charge now? And above all, who is to blame for the wrong moves so far? The market, the coaches, who chose them?

“At Juventus the answer is easy: Giuntoli. But at Milan? Who knows. So we might as well say that everyone is guilty: from the CEO to the technical director, up to Ibra who has no office in the club.”

You mentioned the mercato, was it that disastrous for you?

“I’ll go further and broaden the discussion to the entire squad, not just those who arrived this season. I’ll only save two, Pulisic and Reijnders. All the others, for one reason or another, performed below par.

“Beyond the value of the individual player, it seems to me that at Milan the problem was first and foremost the general attitude. How many times have we seen a player lose the ball and not come back?

“And how many times, instead, eagerly chase the opponent, foaming at the mouth because he senses a dangerous situation for the team?”

Even the key men of the Scudetto were not spared from criticism: Maignan, Theo and Leao…

“Well, have they performed and are they performing as much as you would expect from their potential? Certainly not. Then we need to understand why. Were they self-motivated before or are they depressed now?

“My impression is that in previous years they had people in the club and on the bench who were able to strike the right chords to make them perform better. While today, no…”

Wanting to look to the future, from the new sporting director to the choice of the possible coach, should Sergio Conceiçao not be confirmed on the bench, what do you hope for Milan?

“I sum up my hope in one sentence: less artificial intelligence, more human eye. I hope that more and more people from football work at Milan, capable of recognising talents and then helping them grow in their characteristics.

“Because data can help, but it doesn’t explain everything and above all it doesn’t form great teams on its own.”