The “Rossoneri” currently sit 9th-place in Serie A, trailing Champions League qualification by 14 points and Europa League qualification by 6 points. Unless there’s a last-minute miracle, this means Milan will completely miss out on European football next season for the first time in five years.

For many Milan fans, it’s a reminder of the now decade-ago 2014-25 campaign, where Milan completely collapsed and finished 10th under Pippo Inzaghi. When that happened, nobody thought a repeat season would be possible. Fast-forward 10 years later, though, and history seems to be repeating itself.

Milan Must Win Coppa Italia If They Want to Qualify for Europe

So, is it really season over for Milan? The way things stand, yes. However, if Milan can somehow pull off a miracle in the Coppa Italia tomorrow night to make it to the final, they still stand a chance of qualifying for the Europa League next season. For some fans, it won’t be enough — but the Europa League is better than nothing.

The problem is that Milan are playing Inter in the semis. The first leg finished 1-1 and Milan are always capable of beating Inter, even when they’re not performing that well domestically. No matter the circumstances, anything is possible in the “Derby della Madonnina”. However, Inter are flying high at the top of Serie A and chasing what would be a potential Treble. It’s certainly not the ideal time to play them from a Milan perspective, but they’d love to be the team who destroy Inter’s treble hopes, that’s for sure.

Heading into the semi-final with Inter, BettingTools report that most sportsbooks have given Milan odds of 14/5. Based on the BettingTools free calculators, this means you’d receive £38 from a £10 bet, so only the most ambitious of bettors will be wagering on Milan tomorrow night. Of course, Milan could easily end up knocking Inter out of the iconic cup competition, but the odds aren’t looking too favourable at this moment in time.

If Milan are indeed eliminated from the Coppa Italia, this would ultimately seal their fate: no European football next season. It’ll be a tough pill to swallow, especially since Milan are one of the staple teams of European football. However, Milan fans shouldn’t panic too much, as it could set up the opportunity for a much-needed reset over the coming months.

How No European Football Could Actually Help Milan

It’s no secret that AC Milan need a rebuild.

This isn’t up for debate. Everybody, including the club’s hierarchy, knows that a classic “clearout and rebuild” is the only thing that can get Milan back on track.

When you look at the bigger picture, this is why missing out on Europe next season isn’t the end of the world. In fact, you could even make the argument that it might be a blessing in disguise.

No European football means fewer fixtures, less fatigue, and the opportunity to focus all energy on restoring the club’s reputation in Serie A. Not to mention, this scenario will also enable the club to prioritize off-field transfers and truly getting the right players in.

It’ll be a case of short-term pain and long-term gain, but this is generally how most successful rebuilds in European football start. Just look at Antonio Conte, who successfully went into both Juventus and then Chelsea after both clubs missed out on Europe. He rebuilt them, got players back to their best and ultimately won trophies in the process (although it’s unlikely Conte will be the one rebuilding Milan come next season).

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what a step-by-step rebuild for Milan will look like over the next couple of seasons, but it has to start with major investment. Milan’s frail defense — which Arrigo Sacchi recently labeled “embarrassingly poor” after the club lost to Napoli — should be the main focus.

Reportedly, the Milan board will also give major priority to clearing out deadwood players as they attempt to usher in a “new Milan”. This will probably include the likes of Emerson Royal, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Samuel Chukwueze and Filippo Terraccian, who all look set to be shipped out of Milan during the summer. At the same time, the current loanees (João Félix, Tammy Abraham and Riccardo Sottil) will almost certainly be leaving, too.

Then there’s the issue of manager Sérgio Conceição. It’s been a somewhat bizarre reign so far for Conceição, who has been with Milan less than 6 months yet already divided opinion. After arriving at Milan at the end of 2024, the Portuguese manager was able to win the Italian Super Cup in just two games after beating Inter in the final. It’s the fastest a coach has ever won a trophy with Milan, so most fans were optimistic that Conceição would carry this momentum over to Serie A for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, though, this hasn’t happened.

Milan have now slipped all the way to 9th-place and the initial “new manager bounce” is well and truly gone. The potential upside is that Conceição could still technically land Milan their second trophy of the season by beating Inter in the Coppa Italia, but the odds of this aren’t looking too great. Instead, the most likely outcome now is that Milan will indeed miss out on Europe next season and a new manager will be brought in during the summer to kickstart a fresh rebuild.

Who Will Be the Next Milan Manager?

With reports continuing to circulate that Sérgio Conceição will be leaving Milan at the end of the season, there’s already talk about who might be stepping in next.

The general belief is that Milan’s hierarchy want an Italian manager to come in next, so it’s no surprise that Max Allegri is said to be one of the #1 choice for next season. This wouldn’t go down too well with Milan fans, despite the fact that Allegri won the league and Supercoppa during his first spell with the club before eventually leaving in 2014. At this stage, Allegri’s style of football is deemed to be “pre-historic” and he’s not the prolific trophy-winner he used to be, so it would be a brave move from Milan’s board to say the least.

Young manager Roberto De Zerbi has also been linked with Milan for the past couple of years, with reports of a potential Serie A return hotting up over the past few months. This would be a slightly more ambitious managerial appointment for Milan, but it again leaves questions hanging over the club as to whether it would be enough to truly get Milan where they need to be in the long-term.

There are even a few whispers that Milan legend “Don Carlo” — Carlo Ancelotti — could make a sensational return to the club following his dismissal from Real Madrid. The problem with a potential Ancelotti return, though, is that the former AC Milan player and manager would likely not be too pleased having to work under the current Milan ownership (a Cardinale and Ancelotti relationship has disaster written all over it). Not to mention, Ancelotti probably doesn’t feel like being part of a large-scale rebuild at this stage in his career, either, which is why a return to Milan is wishful thinking and nothing else.

Sérgio Conceição Unhappy with Recent Reports

Regarding the ongoing media and fan speculation about leaving the club in the summer, Sérgio Conceição recently let his feelings be known:

"Since I arrived, I won the Super Cup and they immediately started talking about the next coach who will come.”

“I've been living football for 40 years, it's fine with me, but there's a lack of respect every day.”

"There seems to be no one here, but there is a man and a coach. I didn't come from another planet: I've been a coach for 14 years. The pressure is fine, but this is not."

There’s always the possibility that Conceição could finish up staying with Milan, as he already has credit in the bank and a Coppa Italia win would make it near impossible for the board to fire him over the summer. Therefore, it will all come down to tomorrow night, so let’s wait and see what happens.

Conclusion

AC Milan are set to miss out on European football next season if they fail to beat Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. European football or not, it’s clear that a huge club rebuild is needed for Milan if they want to get anywhere close to the glory days of before. It will start with getting the right manager in and clearing out players who are no longer needed, while also implementing a new culture from top-to-bottom. It’s not going to be easy, but Milan can no longer kick the can down the road. A rebuild must happen — and it starts this summer.