It’s a difficult situation, almost embarrassing to even comment on. While Inter celebrate their 21st league title, with the possibility of adding a Coppa Italia to their trophy cabinet, a competition we’ve pointlessly ignored for years, Milan lose away at Sassuolo and risk throwing everything away in the race for the Champions League. There’s little spirit, little desire, and maximum disappointment. In a professional environment, these are not healthy values, and it’s only right that the team, above all, takes a long, hard look at itself and almost feels ashamed after such a disastrous second half of the season. The problems, however, go beyond just the squad.
A club without ambition?
Is this really a club that hopes to grow and increase its revenues? Let’s be clear. To become sustainable and attractive worldwide, in football there are no alternatives: either you sell all your best players in one go, and the risk of that is clearly high, as we’ve seen over these past four years, or you win. Simple as that. The worrying impression is that this ownership doesn’t want to win, doesn’t want to grow technically. The same crude mistakes in communication and vision keep being made. An example? The lack of activity in the January transfer window. First decisions are made without fully listening to the manager, then meetings are suddenly arranged midweek, jumping from nothing to everything. It doesn’t work. This was a team that needed strengthening with a clear method and ideas, regardless of the fact that some players have not proved to be up to this level, such as Jashari, Athekame, and even the otherwise solid Ricci. What ambitions can a club like this realistically have?
Milan standing still and watching...
Inter, amid storms and controversy, keep winning, and even when they don’t, they come very close. When will a Milan fan, especially a younger one, get to experience again the feeling of playing in a Champions League final? Or fighting point by point for a league title? It’s true, last year the Nerazzurri lost, and badly, but they managed to bounce back immediately. And Milan? Standing still, just watching. We, those who work in the game, and you fans and enthusiasts, don’t deserve this. It wouldn’t take much: method, ideas, and competence. Yet producing quality at this level seems almost impossible. Milan now lives in complete mediocrity, clinging to a league title that came almost by chance, thanks to outstanding teamwork and unity under Stefano Pioli, along with the sense of identity and belonging built by Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara. Last year’s Super Cup is merely a drop of lukewarm honey (not even that sweet) in a jar that, sadly, hasn’t seen the red-and-black colours for quite some time.
Source: Milan News
