The long-time coach and now pundit Arrigo Sacchi spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the choices Milan will have to make to relaunch themselves ahead of next season:
“I’ve always believed that the club, with its history and its ideas, comes before the coach, and the coach comes before the players. This means that the decisive role in this matter must belong to the ownership. It's fundamental—so that everything works and the engine runs smoothly—that there is perfect harmony among all parts of the club."
"I’ll give you an example so you can better understand what I mean: Berlusconi was the man who set the direction, Galliani made sure that direction was followed, and Braida did the same. And then there was me—the coach—who, in perfect harmony with the management, had the task of turning those ideas into football. When Berlusconi told me he wanted to win and to convince, that for him football was entertainment, and that his goal was to entertain the fans, I immediately understood what I had to do: propose an innovative, beautiful, engaging, and captivating style of play."
Sacchi added:
"And that success was possible because there was full alignment in vision between management and coach, between the CEO (Galliani) and sporting director (Braida), between coach and players. Milan’s problems this season are the result of mistakes made last summer—and saying this isn’t revealing some great secret. Clearly, there was no chemistry between those who needed to work together, so much so that Fonseca, at the first signs of difficulty, was dismissed."
"The people who are part of a club must all row in the same direction with the goal of reaching the finish line before the others. If instead everyone goes their own way and just tries to save themselves, then you end up getting nowhere. So, precisely because I care deeply about Milan, I hope that now—during this crucial period when next season’s project is being defined—past mistakes won’t be repeated, and above all, that they will rely on trustworthy people: the sporting director, the coach, and the players. All united, and with a clear vision coming from the top of the club, it’s possible to think about becoming great again.”
