The conclusion of last season is still an open wound for Igli Tare, who watched what was his Milan fail to secure a Champions League qualification that had been within reach. For the first time, the former Rossoneri sporting director has spoken about that experience on Sky Calcio Unplugged:
"The disappointment of not qualifying for the Champions League is still enormous. I think that from the very first day I arrived at Milan, I also put myself under scrutiny. The nature of the contract? If I have to come here with Champions League qualification as the objective, then I have not understood where I have arrived. Milan has a different history: it is the most decorated club in Italy and, after Real Madrid, the most important in the world."
Regarding his departure at the end of the season, Tare said:
"The disappointment is that those running the club had not understood that people needed to be given time. Something they are doing now. You have to say that several transfer windows are needed to achieve the objective of building a competitive team capable of winning. At the beginning, the responsibility was immediately placed on putting all the pieces together. The experience of the previous year, the defeat in the Coppa Italia, had left significant marks. You did not know where to start. But we did an important job last summer: we sold players for a lot of money and brought in ten new players. Time is also needed to integrate them, understand philosophies and create a united group that is hungry to win."
And on the poor end to the season, he explained:
"Until March/early April, we were a group with some difficulties but always first or second in the standings. Then, in the final ten matchdays, we suffered a mental collapse due to other dynamics that I do not want to name or discuss, but which had an impact. However, I think we also share some of the blame: Max and I, above all, should have paid a little more attention to certain dynamics. We should have been more present with the team to see that final result through."
Tare then spoke about his relationship with owner Gerry Cardinale:
"I remember when there were negotiations for Jashari. I had just landed at the airport in Rome. I was pleased to receive a phone call from him because he wanted to understand what was happening in those negotiations. I explained the dynamics to him and he told me: 'If you need to spend a little more money, let me know because I am here.'"
"Throughout that period, I never had the opportunity to speak with him, partly deliberately, because there were people above me whom I did not want to bypass. And the opportunity to have a discussion would have helped everyone, not just me. By putting all the problems on the table, many things could have been resolved much earlier. I think this is a new experience for him. He has had experience in other sports in America, and now he has taken on important responsibilities. He has now taken responsibility and put his face on the line. Being present, I would have preferred to have had that presence when I was there, because it would have been very useful. But better late than never for Milan. For him, this is a journey in which he will have to take responsibility, for better or worse. I also think that, for him, Milan's best interests come first."
Regarding last season's squad, Tare did not hold back:
"My initial feeling was that we lacked a little leadership. Alongside Modric's arrival, Xhaka was also supposed to come, the Leverkusen captain at the time, to bring these two genuine players into the group, with important qualities that could help lead the team. Luka is quieter in his approach on the pitch. I had the opportunity to get to know Maignan, an extraordinary guy who cares deeply about the Milan shirt. Or Gabbia, also an extraordinary guy who lives for this club. Rabiot, too, a player whose experience spoke for itself. The great disappointment was that I expected more from Pulisic in terms of responsibility and leadership. He is a player of great quality, with unquestionable ability, but things happened that I had never experienced in my career. Or from a striker like Gimenez, who failed to score a single goal. Then Pulisic went six months without scoring. These are situations that happen in football, perhaps you simply stop scoring, but such a long period also had an impact on the team's final performances."
And so they arrived at the nightmare of the final matchday... Tare commented:
"I think that 2-1 defeat against Cagliari was the worst match of my life. The feeling and the disappointment towards the fans in the stadium that evening are something I will never forget for the rest of my life."
Tare also spoke about the decision to appoint Massimiliano Allegri as head coach:
"I think about the experience he brought at the time. When I arrived, the only thing they asked me to do was to bring in an Italian coach rather than a foreign one. I had a few ideas involving foreign coaches. But the experiences with Conceição and Fonseca were not what they wanted, so the request was for an Italian coach."
And so Allegri was the choice...
"Allegri's history is important. He has won a lot as a coach and has experienced football at a very high level. Everyone experiences things differently, and I had the opportunity to speak with him. He is disappointed that his time there ended this way.
Would he have stayed? As I said about Ibrahimovic, Milan means something special to Allegri. He won a Scudetto there, and Milan is Milan to anyone.
"I once asked Nesta: 'Why did you speak so highly of Milan when you are an idol for Lazio fans?' And he told me: 'You have no idea. The greatness, the organisation, it is something else. My life will always be linked to Lazio, but what I experienced at Milan, I did not experience anywhere else.' And I can confirm that."
