Ambition, timing and risk: Why Milan and De Zerbi might be a perfect marraige | OneFootball

Attempting to pinpoint the exact reasons why Milan have suddenly faltered dramatically since the glory days is nearly impossible considering the multiple elements behind the decline. One argument to support the demise involves decision-making and the manager personnel appointed.

Carlo Ancelotti, undisputedly one of the greatest tacticians of all time who claimed two Champions League titles and a Scudetto during his time at the Rossoneri, became a proven coach with a raw ability to keep fans on the edge of their seats and eagerly anticipated the next matchday around the corner.

Since 2009, 11 managers have come and gone whether they were interim caretakers or seen as the right man to lead the club toward the foreseeable future.

From those names, you can argue that Massimiliano Allegri is the most polished and capable personality that the club has hired – touted at the time as the next big thing in Italian football after his spell at Cagliari, helping Milan claim their 18th Serie A title.

A star-studded crop of world-class talent in the form of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Alexandre Pato, Andrea Pirlo, Kevin Price-Boateng, and Alessandro Nesta to name a few might have propelled that piece of silverware, yet the football displayed wasn’t always pleasing on the eye and had supporters craving for more in a weird sense.

Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi, and Clarence Seedorf did their reputation no favours by accepting a gigantic and implausible task of turning around a historic club with minimal coaching experience and pedigree, whilst the late Siniša Mihajlović did implement ‘grinta’ and rediscovered pride for the badge, there was no clear identity on the pitch from a footballing perspective.

Amidst the ongoing search for a new manager to replace the outgoing Stefano Pioli, a lingering candidate has entered the frame from a pipedream to a real possibility: Roberto De Zerbi.

Shock news broke before Brighton and Hove Albion’s final fixture of the season that the Italian would be stepping away from managerial duties, reportedly due to sharing different ideas with owner Tony Bloom.

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De Zerbi’s name has vaguely emerged over the past couple of weeks, though the main hurdle that halted Gerry Cardinale and the board from progressing with the idea was the reported €15m release clause on the ex-Sassuolo boss’ contract to make the jump.

As expected, now that the release clause is out of the equation, rumours of the 44-year-old reuniting with the seven-time European champions have exponentially accelerated.

Having previously developed in the Milan youth academy, De Zerbi confessed his love for the club in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I grew up at Milan, I lived three years at Milanello and my football education comes from Milan, the real one, my football education comes from the Milan of Baresi, Tassotti, Maldini, Boban, Savicevic, and of Costacurta,” De Zerbi admitted.

Despite the opportunity opening up to alter plans, current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca is still currently leading the charge to secure the top honour per multiple reports.

The former Roma boss has performed above expectations at the Italian capital and now Ligue 1 where he has experienced under-resourcing and a limited environment to thrive – unable to maximise his full potential.

At some point, honesty must prevail. Are the top European clubs lining up in pursuit of Fonseca? The answer is no. Instead, De Zerbi has been linked with the world’s top clubs, so wouldn’t it make sense to do everything in Milan’s power to secure his services and compete with the elite down the line?

As we witnessed with the Julen Lopetegui saga, plans must be reassessed when even the slightest opening presents itself like De Zerbi. This scenario makes more sense to change direction in comparison to the imminent Lopetegui signing.

When results and performances don’t live up to the billing, the manager’s head will naturally be the first in the firing line. At the same time, the personality of a coach can go a long way toward connecting with the fanbase and providing a glimmer of hope and excitement – just as was the case with Ancelotti all those years ago.

De Zerbi is changing football and the feeling is that the ball is in Milan’s court to push as hard as possible to build a long-term project. His popular attacking philosophy envisions what the modern game is all about; possession-based style, high pressing, high intensity, quick passing, and constant movement.

It feels too good to be true because Milan often never makes it easy on themselves, mainly due to being reactive rather than proactive.

What would opting for Fonseca ahead of De Zerbi say about the ambition at Milanello? What message will it send from the ownership being equipped to handle these big decisions?

Then there’s the other side of the token with the risks attached to De Zerbi’s attacking mentality, an element that must be taken into serious consideration.

Still yet to find the balance on the defensive side of the ball, his Brighton outfit conceded an average of 1.57 goals in the Premier League since October 2022 and were knocked out by Roma 4-1 on aggregate in the Europa League round of 16 after clearly suffering from a lack of energy caused by the demands of his tactical style.

It draws similar comparisons to the legendary Arrigo Sacchi who revolutionised the game in his own right, going as far as abolishing the defensive sweeper role and adopting a back four with a high line. What may have been viewed as an attacking method of madness, was soon hailed as genius work to transform Milan into an attacking machine.

Let’s not forget that De Zerbi hasn’t won anything tangible aside from a single Ukrainian Super Cup during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk. Do the fans prefer guaranteed entertainment or is winning trophies more important?

Better yet, perhaps De Zerbi’s forward-thinking can evolve into a Sacchi-like era that can achieve the best of both worlds – albeit with the backing of the club and some patience.

After the defeat to Manchester United two days ago, the Brescia-born manager touched on his tireless study regime and willingness to always adapt.

“For sure, if I have to stay at home (for) three, four, five months, it should be not a problem because I will work,” De Zerbi said.

“I will work studying different games, different teams, the style of different coaches. Football is in development. Every year it is different and you have to keep the level if you want to stay at the top.”

At a time when Milan has been forced to settle for fringe players in the Premier League over the years, surely this is the chance to poach one of the most knowledgeable and exciting young coaches in world football – who isn’t on the fringes.

If not, then it would feel nothing other than a wasted opportunity.