Devil’s Advocate: Petitions, principles and precedents – the dangers of external noise | OneFootball

AC Milan have once again failed in their season-defining period, but what has followed is a storm of epic proportions that has seen certainties swept away like sandcastles into the sea.

Make no mistake about it, the time for change is here. We have written extensively on how Stefano Pioli’s record in big games alone is enough for him to probably bite the bullet, as are other issues such as his rotation policy.

The straw that seemed to break the camel’s back for the management – the final straw that matters the most – is the Europe League defeat against Roma, a tie in which the Rossoneri lost both legs are were thoroughly outplayed.

Pioli was outthought by someone who is a rookie coach in comparison. Everything that Milan did was predictable and had a counter-plan from Daniele De Rossi, who in turn deployed certain schemes that the Rossoneri had no answer for.

The derby defeat against Inter – the sixth in a row in that particular fixture – added further salt to a wide-open wound. As the Nerazzurri celebrated the title in Milan’s home game, many fans wanted Pioli to be clearing his desk that same night.

What is clear is that Milan are now in the market for a new head coach; a man who can galvanise a talented squad, who can perform better in the moments that matter most and who can unite a club that needs everyone pulling in the same direction to try close the gap to the noisy neighbours across the navigli.

And yet, at the time of writing this, there could hardly be a bigger divide. The news emerged from a number of reliable sources that Julen Lopetegui is the man that has been chosen by the management to lead the post-Pioli era, and that things were moving fast.

This is where the supporters re-enter the frame, starting with an important point to make: Milan fans love a protest. They’re not the only ones by any means, but the ability to rally so quickly on key issues is borderline impressive.

Recent history gives us a couple of striking examples, the first being rather ‘full circle’ in nature as it concerns Pioli. When he was appointed as the man to replace Marco Giampaolo early on in the 2019-20 season, he was met with the ‘#PioliOut’ campaign which went viral on social media.

There are actually some similarities with today. In the eyes of a rather vocal portion of the supporter base there was an obvious choice back then (Luciano Spalletti) as there is now (Antonio Conte), without the realisation that things can be more difficult than that.

Then there was the sale of Sandro Tonali last summer. Once rumours became concrete and news spread that the fan favourite and future bandiera was heading to Newcastle United, all hell broke loose.

For many, it was a betrayal of the values that they hoped and presumed still existed at Milan, which was that attachment to the club meant something. Paolo Maldini’s sacking generated a similarly strong response, one entirely generated by shock, confusion and the evaporation of certainties.

Looking back after the dust has settled, the reality that followed is different from the doom-riddled prophecies that were banded about at the time.

Pioli, regardless of how his time is coming to an end, gave three very good seasons and must be given a good wedge of the credit for helping lead the resurgence back to being a consistent Champions League club.

Tonali, for as much as he remains adored and has obviously been impacted by off-field issues, has not been good investment for Newcastle United while Milan received a club-record fee that was then fully reinvested.

On that topic, Maldini and Ricky Massara exiting was supposed to mark the end of a Milan that used human logic to evaluate players and instead was allegedly going to result in an algorithm-led disaster. The 2023 summer window, with the benefit of hindsight, has statistically been excellent even if there are areas that were unaddressed.

That brings us back to the latest topic of outrage, the potential hiring of Lopetegui. There has already been a ‘#NOPEtegui’ campaign on social media, with a petition amassing thousands of signatures from like-minded supporters who believe so strongly that he is not the correct profile for Milan.

Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on and whether you have put your name down on the petition or not, every fan is acting under the same premise: they want the best for Milan as a club. The problem therein lies in the fact there are so many different ideas of what that is and how to achieve it.

It is impossible to avoid the anti-Lopetegui sentiment that is plentifully scattered throughout the Italian papers and on various platforms, and it seems as though that it the case for those in charge of the decision-making at the club too.

In a surprise twist that not even the creator of the petition could have envisaged, reports over the last 48 hours have made it clear that Gerry Cardinale is not only aware of the negative reaction to the Lopetegui news, but that it also seems to have disrupted things in a non-trivial way.

What is about to be outlined will be to some the most undigestible section of this piece, though it needs to be said with absolute clarity and certainty.

Numerous reliable sources have claimed that Lopetegui is not a recent idea for Milan and that he has actually been evaluated over the course of the last few months in a rigorous process before it was determined that he ticks the most boxes of any potential candidate.

If the management – and for the avoidance of doubt that means Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Geoffrey Moncada plus Giorgio Furlani and Cardinale as the higher-ups – really believe in the Spaniard, then their opinion not only should be the only one that counts, but in fact it is.

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As the directors of a world-renowned football club with a trophy-laden past and a huge relevance in the modern game, they are paid to make the big decisions regarding the future. They are paid handsomely to do so, by the way, and that is why they must make them rather than defer to fans.

As the old corporate saying goes, why would they take advice from someone whose job is not on the line, as theirs is every time they make a call that will drastically change the course of the organisation they represent one way or the other?

Further to this, there are definitely differing levels of knowledge when it comes to people within the Milan fan base – and again it must be stressed they all want the best for the club – yet there is one certainty: Ibrahimovic, Moncada and co. know more about Milan’s situation than any one supporter.

They have perfect information, i.e. they operate under total transparency knowing all of the facts when it comes to the project Milan can pitch, what they can pay the next coach, what kind of a summer mercato is planned and all the other relevant issues therein. Fans, on the other hand, always form opinions under imperfect information.

With that being said, the point is not so much about Lopetegui as a head coach, but what the U-turn would represent. For what it’s worth, the strong doubts about the 57-year-old are more than justified and it is a bit perplexing to see him so strongly linked.

A quick scan down the resume shows that Lopetegui struggled at Porto as he failed to win any silverware in his two seasons there, then somehow got the Spain job off the back of this but was sacked  because he didn’t tell them he had a contract with Real Madrid.

With Los Blancos he lasted just 14 games after winning only six of them and the coffin door was closed after a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona. Sevilla took a punt on him and he did win the Europa League during the Covid period, yet was then sacked because he had them 16th in the league.

Lopetegui did well to stabilise Wolves in his most recent gig, taking them from the relegation zone to fairly comfortable safety (a sign of how his stock had dropped), though he then left six days before the new season because he had concerns about their finances.

In spite of all of the above, going back on a managerial hire that those in a position of power and knowledge have decided on because of fan sentiment is dangerous. It isn’t about the idea of Lopetegui not being hired, it’s about what it represents.

Supporter power is important and it has an influence. Issues like ticket prices are a great example of this, given Milan fans campaigned against a huge hike in Champions League prices in the name of affordability for all and they were then reversed.

Speaking of ticket issues, Milan’s Curva Sud did not make the short trip to Turin for the Juventus game on Saturday, in protest at the ticket prices charged by the home side.

They also decided to make their feelings known in light of the situation that surrounds the club more generally, and it was packed full of punches.

“Almost 2 years have passed since the arrival of Mr. Cardinale, a transitory and adjustment phase was to be considered more than legitimate but now the time has come to get to the point and demonstrate with facts the real objectives of the club, that is, whether to build a ambitious team, or set up from year to year a team capable of scraping by in the positions that guarantee access to the Champions League while waiting for the new stadium to be built and nothing more.

“It must be clear to everyone that if the answer were the latter, we are not in favour of it! It is more than legitimate that we cannot think of spending the rivers of money invested by other clubs in other leagues on the market, but you can’t think of becoming great again by building the team solely through a few transfers and then reinvesting the money in non-established players.

“You can’t think of having a winning project if, now almost May, you still don’t know who the new player will be coach and consequently it becomes difficult to set up a team on the market that is compatible with the needs of the new coach. Total chaos reigns within the club between deafening silences, embarrassing communication strategies to say the least and lack of clarity of roles.

“Gentlemen, patience is over! Milan is not a product on which to speculate and Milan is not a place that is content to participate. Milan has a people behind it who by history and tradition are used to to be in the elite of world football.

“This ownership thinks it is up to these prerogatives and will demonstrate it with concrete facts (and the choice of the new coach will already make us understand a lot), will continue to enjoy the tireless support of a madly people. in love. If this isn’t the case, forget about living Milan as a happy island, as you have done up to now… Always with Milan in your heart!”

It can be argued that the club – and this is presuming that the discontent about Lopetegui is the main reason for potentially pulling the plug – listened to the Curva Sud more than the petition with a few thousand names on it. The same worrying indications remain.

If Milan have decided they do not want Lopetegui it should be a determination via their own process and the realisation that there is somebody better to come in and do the job, rather than a fan petition or a Curva statement.

Another example is the very vocal pro-Conte contingent, which almost deserves a separate discussion. In spite of the fact that he would arguably bring as many if not more risks than other candidates due to his demanding nature, explosive past and short-termist tendencies, there are a staggering amount who believe he is simply the only sane choice.

When it comes to making big footballing decisions, fans should have minimal to zero input or bearing. We are fickle by nature, opinions change after one bad result and managers/players go out of fashion quickly.

If you did not want Lopetegui in charge, as a lot didn’t, then feel free to celebrate. Perhaps in a few days, and depending on who the alternative is, it will be recognised what dangerous moment this is for the ownership and the precedent that it may set.

Cardinale and co. have been left with a lose-lose choice: stick to their guns and hire a manager who appears unpopular, or quickly try and scramble for another profile that there is less internal agreement about. Neither, any fan can agree, are the actions of a strong leadership.