GdS: Pioli’s time is up but blame for Milan’s collapse must be shared | OneFootball

Stefano Pioli is likely to be the one who falls on the sword after a disappointing campaign on all fronts for AC Milan, but the blame extends beyond just him.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Pioli has tried everything to salvage the season. He hammered on the need to grow in defensive attention, he prepared a new tactical structure for the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico, he led the pre-match huddle and he trusted his leaders.

Instead of reviving Milan, they remains flatlined like at San Siro in the first leg. Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez were still quiet, Olivier Giroud impalpable, the defence was all at sea and the team generally failed on second balls.

It  must be acknowledged that Pioli’s Milan no longer exists, not because the players are playing against him or because the coach has suddenly become totally incapable, but because there are cycles which must end.

Even if everyone continues to put Pioli in the docks, the blame for the debacle must be shared among all the components. Pioli remains one of the best Italian coaches and will be remembered as one of the best in Milan’s history.

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He took the team from the rubble, in 11th place in 2019-20 when he was put in charge, and will probably leave them in second spot, after bringing a Scudetto win that was unexpected and to the semi-final of the Champions League, filling the San Siro with hope for five years.

The players who go on the pitch are much more responsible. Rafael Leao is concluding yet another season as an unfinished player, in June he will turn 25. If at San Siro he was surprised by El Shaarawy’s trap, what did he do on the return leg to get out of it?

How many matches from Theo and Leao can be this season can be truly called top performances? In the storm, there were no leaders at the helm and here the responsibilities of management come into play as well.

It is useless to count the goals of Noah Okafor, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Luka Jovic to argue that it was a good summer mercato. Instead, it was culpably incomplete: Sandro Tonali was not replaced, a midfielder of depth and personality – like Teun Koopmeiners – was needed.

A deputy to Theo and a solid alternative to Olivier Giroud were required. As expected in the summer, Paolo Maldini’s void took its toll. Pioli lacked a technical interlocutor and the players lacked a presence.

It will be up to him to Zlatan Ibrahimovic to help the rebuild. He will have to do it, first of all, by building a competent team around him, choosing the right coach and conducting a mercato that will have to fix the defects. As omnipotent as he is, Zlatan is still an apprentice to the role.