Stefano Pioli Leading A Resurgence Of The Milan Of Old

By -

Having previously failed at Inter Milan, Lazio and Bologna, no one would have foresee Stefano Pioli being offered another contract when AC Milan appointed him on October 2019, to see them through the rest of the season after the sacking of Marco Giampaolo.

AC Milan manager, Stefano Pioli in Milan training. Photo Credit: AC Milan

AC Milan sacked Pioli's predecessor Giampaolo, who signed a two-year contract with the club in the summer of 2019, just few months into his first season after Milan started the season with just three wins and four loses in seven games.

The results are not befitting of The Rosoneri, who ranked among the best clubs in world football. However, they have been reduced to an average team, whose objective is to seal a Europa League finish, year in and out, since the past seasons.

The seven times UEFA Champions League winners, most by an Italian club, have endured difficulties on and off the pitch in past years. They have had three different owners since 2014 in former Primer minister Silvio Berlusconi, the Chinese group, Sino-Europe Sports and the current owners, American-based Elliot Management with the help of some other directors.

Their big money transfers did not live up to expectations. Leonardo Bonucci, André Silva, Krzysztof Piatek, Lucas Paqueta all came in on big money transfers but failed to justify their price tag. The Rosoneri have spent so much that they have to withdraw from the 2019-20 Europa League due to issues with Financial Fair Play regulations.

When Pioli came in, AC Milan were not one of the teams you will expected to win three games on the bounce but the Italian has turned things around completely. They have gone 24 games unbeaten in all competitions before losing to Lille in the last matchday of the Europa League.

There was a time last season, when Milan had an agreement with German tactician, Ralf Rangnick to take over from the Italian. However, the club reversed the decision and decided to let Pioli continue, minutes after they beat Sassuolo to seal Europa League qualification towards the end of last campaign.

The return of Zlatan Ibrahimović has also boosted the mentality of the team with the Swede helping young players on and off the pitch.


AC Milan players celebrate a goal in a Serie A match. Photo Credit: AC Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimović's impact can not go unnoticed be overemphasized, he has spearhead the club's attack expertly since his arrival, his 20 goals and seven assists in 29 games have been helpful for a club, who finished sixth in the league last season and currently in first position with seven games into the new season.

AC Milan have not win Scudetto in nine seasons. Their last time winning it was under Massimiliano Allegri in the 2010-11 season, they have also failed to make a Champions League place since 2012-13 season, when they ended the season in third.

Milan, under Stefano Pioli are slowly returning to the Milan of old. They have won five games and drawn two of their seven league games this season and lead the way, two points above second place Sassuolo with seven games into the new season while also doing fine in the Europa League.

Pioli has build a young energetic team, with Milan not having too spend much on transfers while they have also shipped out players that cost them handsomely. The Rosoneri Faithfuls will be hopeful that the team will continue to improve and reinstate Milan back into the the fold of top teams, in the next few years.

Having gone the last two games without a win in all competitions, AC Milan will be looking to bounce back after the International break in order to avoid a three game winless run when they travel to the San Paolo Stadium in Naples, to battle Napoli.

Milan confirmed recently that Stefano Pioli has tested positive for Covid-19 and may not be on the touchline when club football resume.

Should they be able to maintain their form since the later stages of last season, they could be crowned winners of the Scudetto come the end of the current campaign as they have earned more points than any other team in the league, since the return from the Covid-19 triggered lockdown.


Afolabi Kehinde Hassan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ralf Rangnick proffered a permanent solution but United choose to make more casualties with Erik Ten Hag

By -
Image
Ralf Rangnick appeared to have unraveled the puzzle at Manchester United during his short stint as the club's interim manager but the hierarchy did not take heed to his priceless advice. Albeit the German did not enjoy the best of time in the helm of affairs in Old Trafford, Rangnick, who had proven to be more of a administrative minded man prior to his appointment at the club did left blueprints that could have healed the club completely. Looking back and you'll realize it could have been more worth it had speculations of him becoming the club's Director after leaving the Coaching role come to pass. Even in his early days as a professional football coach, Rangnick did not have a reputation of thriving when the stake is high but he flourishes more in an environment that gives him the avenue to build from scratch. The notion was proven truth during his time at Stuttgart, Hannover and even Schalke, where he helped all these teams finesse nightmares into glamour. His appointme
Read more

Doping in sports and the popular culprits in football

By -
Image
Doping in sports is a huge crime as it damages its credibility, and athletes are viewed to have committed an offense when they test positive for illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PED). What is doping ? According to Merriam Webster defines doping as the use of a substance (such as an anabolic steroid or erythropoietin) or technique (such as blood doping) to illegally improve athletic performance. In sports, such action is regarded as cheat, and grave consequences always come with it. Not only that, but on the players' part and their safety, as in the long run, such substances have a long-lasting side effect on the health of the players. Why do athletes dope (take illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PED)) ? There are several reasons take illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and it also depends on the type of sports the athletes in question do. The majority of the reasons is to boost performance. Athletes are also tempted when injured and do not have enough time to recover before
Read more

A sign of what is to come but no excuse for Chelsea's late capitulation in the London derby

By -
Image
Chelsea ended a run of three straight home defeats to Arsenal in an enthralling London derby match in the Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. While many will see it as a positive omen for the host, which is rightly so, it was very poor game management by both the players and the manager to allow the visitors snatch a point later on the night. Arsenal was there for the taking. It was the worst display by Mikel Arteta's side in recent years and despite having a two goal cushion, Mauricio Pochettino's side were unable to see out the win from a very comfortable position. Cole Palmer and Mykaylo Mudryk continue to show signs of finally settling into their rhythm under Mauricio Pochettino, much to the delight of the home support as the Blues were all over their rival from the North for the first 70 minutes in the Bridge. Both players also scored in either half, with Mykaylo Mudryk scoring his first ever Chelsea goal in the Stamford Bridge with a wonderful cross-cum-shot, which caugh
Read more