In the pages of Corriere dello Sport, Franco Ordine commented on Milan's current situation following the heavy Europa League defeat against Ferencvaros:
"To identify the 'virus' that is humiliating Cardinale and Amorim's new Milan, we need to go back to the origins of this latest cycle of ups and downs, which certainly cannot justify dreams of glory, such as those heard after last Saturday's derby. To obtain a reliable reconstruction, we need to turn to someone who knew Milanello well and recently provided valuable testimony. The reference to Stefano Pioli, the coach who won the 2022 Scudetto, subsequently celebrated with a Champions League semi-final the following season, is essential. Pioli told director Zazzaroni: 'Ibra's arrival was decisive because he raised the intensity of training sessions every day.' All true, and documented. To understand the difference, we need only retrace our memories to the December before Ibra and Kjaer arrived in the January transfer window. Milan had, in fact, suffered a historic lesson in Bergamo at the hands of Gasperini's Atalanta, conceding a humiliating defeat, with five goals scored against them and Donnarumma in goal, not the young debutant Lorenzo Torriani, who nevertheless prevented the result from becoming even heavier on Wednesday night.
Suddenly, that same Milan took a new path in the following months, and this marked the beginning of a virtuous pursuit that eventually culminated in May 2022 with the match in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo. Bear this in mind: during the final decisive weeks of the season, Ibra was out injured, and his body was beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Yet his daily presence at Milanello during training sessions continued to sound the alarm, particularly for some players who were very young in terms of age and experience, such as Leao, Theo Hernandez and Maignan, who, not coincidentally, proved decisive with a series of goals and saves, against Atalanta and Fiorentina, for example.
Who would have the thankless task today of taking up the whip and making it crack every day at Milanello? Probably someone who cannot be considered an experienced veteran capable, through his own charisma, of making the squad listen to him and motivating even the laziest players. Amorim himself revealed the identity during his outburst at San Siro on Wednesday night. He said: 'Pavlovic is ready to die in every training session!' There is the reference. Because the rest of the Rossoneri squad are not ready to keep the bar high every day. And once again, it is Amorim himself who says so, having made sure to convey a genuine accusation in his words: 'We are not yet ready to be competitive on both fronts!'"
