AC Milan have had a nightmare start to 2023, dropping 10 points already, highlighting the several weak points in the team.
The club’s period in the sun seems to be over with a number of players clearly bereft of form and struggling to perform to their own previous high standards.
Theo Hernandez is unrecognisable, Olivier Giroud is on his last legs, but the biggest concern is the psychological condition of the team.
Against Sassuolo, Pioli’s side enjoyed 61 per cent of the ball but were stagnant in possession and conceded five goals out of six shots on goal – an embarrassing record proving the team’s defensive fragilities. The team appear dead on their feet.
Stefano Pioli and his technical staff are similarly culpable for the team’s demise, having allowed the free transfers of Franck Kessie and Hakan Calhanoglu in the last two years without signing replacements.
AC Milan came unstuck in a 5-2 defeat to Sassuolo amid a nightmare start to the year
The Rossoneri’s physical preparation is also under scrutiny, after a dramatic increase in injuries over the last three years.
Pioli’s fear is shown by his actions on the touchline and his ill-devised decision-making in the vain hope of reviving both himself and his team.
The decision to leave Rafael Leao on the bench for 45 minutes perfectly encapsulates this confusion; dropping his star player only for it to blow up in his face.
There are a litany of issues at the San Siro, none of which look remotely close to being solved in the immediate future.
MALDINI GUILTY FOR TEAM’S CRISIS
It is difficult to pin the failings of an entire backroom team on one culprit.
Yet a more in-depth analysis highlights that a large part of Milan’s problems arise from poor decisions in the transfer market by technical director Paolo Maldini.
None of the players brought in over the summer come close to the required quality for Serie A level.
New Italian club owners are growing increasingly concerned with Milan’s recent mistakes in the market, claiming that they have in fact weakened rather than strengthened the structure of the team.
Technical director Paolo Maldini has been wasteful in charge of the club’s transfer policy
This explains Gazzetta dello Sport‘s recent reports that tensions within the club are rising. Maldini and Ricky Massara are now in a very delicate position, and risk the finger being pointed at them if they failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Maldini and…