Sacchi hits out at Milan and defends Pioli: “Do some soul searching” | OneFootball

AC Milan are expected to part ways with Stefano Pioli at the end of the season and several managers have been linked with the club. The Rossoneri’s former manager Arrigo Sacchi has hit out the club, mainly criticising the summer mercato.

Statistically speaking, the 2023 summer mercato was the best in several years as the new signings have scored many goals for Milan. Furthermore, the depth has evidently improved compared to last season, as seen with subs such as Noah Okafor and Samuel Chukwueze.

In his latest editorial for Gazzetta dello Sport, however, Sacchi hit out at the management for not making these signings in agreement with Pioli. It seems like an unfounded statement, truth be told, and his reasoning doesn’t exactly make sense.

“Milan, according to the current standings, are second: not exactly a position to throw away. Furthermore, leading a team full of foreigners in Italy is very complicated. Therefore, at the end of all reasoning, I ask myself the following question: are the purchases of last summer Pioli’s creation or the responsibility of the directors, who aren’t coaches?

“If Pioli wanted all these players, then I give up. If, however, as I believe, the directors decided to sign them, that’s another matter. Who assessed the temperament and moral qualities of these athletes? A coach or directors who have never been coaches? For this reason I say that, having reached this point, everyone at Milan must look inside themselves and do some soul searching.

“It’s very easy to dump the coach, it’s usually the first thing that comes to the owner’s mind. Pioli, as happens with anyone, has certainly made mistakes, the team hasn’t been continuous, and there have been too many ups and downs, but who will replace him? Ancelotti, Guardiola or Klopp? This doesn’t seem to be the case, so we should be very careful before undertaking a radical change,” he stated.

It seems unlikely that Pioli didn’t have any say whatsoever during the summer, as Milan have always made it clear that they work as a team. Sacchi is right that the Rossoneri need to think carefully about the replacement, though, with several candidates mentioned so far.