Stefano Pioli continues to lead the ship. He will do so at least until the end of the next season. Beyond that point, it will be up to much more debate in the media and the club management, along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic as consultant, will assess the season overall.
The Rossoneri coach, however, does not think too much about what the future may hold for him. He does not look too far ahead, as he admitted in the a recent press conference this week when he said these words:
"I am very calm. Our future is tomorrow (match vs Napoli)..."
The AC Milan team of head coach Stefano Pioli, for now, is doing very well currently. The Rossoneri are sitting in third position with 52 points after playing 24 matches. The hope is that they continue in a winning streak and perhaps overtake Juventus. The Scudetto notion is not, however, on the mind of the players as Inter are sitting in first position with 60 points after 23 matches played.
The recent good run of form for Milan, however, does not satisfy the fans a lot who were initially hoping for a better campaign especially in Europe. AC Milan, in fact, exited the Champions League competition in the group stage and were relegated to Europa League, where they will make their debut on February 15 against Rennes at the San Siro. One should also not forget about the exit from Coppa Italia when Milan lost at home 1-2 against Atalanta.
Stefano Pioli's future is very complicated therefore, and it seems that the only way he can secure his stay for another season is by winning the Europa League and finishing the Serie A very strongly with a series of victories with strong results.
Now, let's look at the situation from the perspective of the club management.
Candidates being studied by Milan to replace Stefano Pioli next summer?
The different reports from Italy and abroad have discussed that the club has drawn a shortlist of different profiles who can collect the legacy of Stefano Pioli, build on it and improve it at Milanello. The names? There are severals, starting with Antonio Conte, who seems to have the approval of many fans.
Julen Lopetegui, former coach of the Spain national team, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolverhampton Wanderers is also in the mix.
Another name who is appreciated by many is Thiago Motta. The reason is that because he is a young profile who has shown an intriguing style of play on the pitch with an ability to develop young players and nurture their skills and talents. He is doing positive work with Bologna who are currently in the 5th position in the league table with 39 points after 23 matches played.
One name from Ligue 1 has also been reportedly linked with a move to the San Siro is Nice's boss: the 34-year-old Italian Francesco Farioli. In France, he has taken his side to sit in second position after PSG, with 39 poitns. Farioli is definitely an interesting young coach with important ideas and he should not be excluded, as per different reports in the last weeks.
Other names have been mentioned such as Graham Potter, the 48-year-old Englishman. He is currently free, the last club he managed was Chelsea, but he failed to deliver and satisfy the American ownership.
Many sources talked about these different names in the last months. The clues, therefore, lead to one important conclusion: AC Milan have definitely not chosen their next coach.
Nothing is excluded, just like how the scenario of Stefano Pioli remaining at the helm could materialise. Certainly, what one needs to know is that the club directors are getting behind their team and will support the current coach and his staff in their efforts to reach the remaining seasonal objectives.
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