Pioli reveals moment he knew Milan tenure was over: “I was sure it would work” | OneFootball

Stefano Pioli’s time at AC Milan was heading to an inevitable end during the 2023/24 season, but there was a hope that his job could continue, and it rode on European football.

For months, Pioli was on the verge of the sack at Milan, but the club refused to pull the trigger until the end of the season out of respect for the coach who brought the Scudetto back to the Rossoneri. However, whether this was an effective strategy can be questioned.

Instead of supporting the coach, the persistent rumours of unhappiness just took away from his position, and by the end of things, it felt more like a timely release, rather than the ending of a beautiful chapter.

Perhaps, the story could have had another twist, but with the Diavolo failing to win the Europa League, it was written off the cards. Today, Pioli looked back at the situation as part of an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

After five years, was the story between you and Milan over anyway or did those derbies weigh?

“It had come to a physiological end, the derbies accelerated it. Losing six in a row hurt me, naturally. Especially the two in the Champions League, also because they took away the value of a great result: being back in the semi-finals after 16 years.”

When did you realise it was over at AC Milan?

“There was a precise moment: the return leg of the Europa League quarter-final, Roma v Milan, at the Olimpico. In the first leg, we had lost 1-0. In the dressing room before the match, I gave a goosebump speech, one of my most heartfelt ever. I was sure we would go through.

“Instead, the team got nothing and did little on the pitch. There I realised that what I was giving was no longer enough. The empathy had broken down.