Do we need to be patient with AC Milan?

There was a 2000’s song, and popular saying, titled “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” which, in this case, could become “Milan Wasn’t Built in a Day” and not even an entire summer of the transfer market. In effect, it seems that Fassone and Mirabelli have taken the hardest path to get Milan back on top of the Italian and European ranking.

As the new management of AC Milan took control of the club, they made a lot of moves in order to start the rebuilding process of this team, but it isn’t always easy, especially in a difficult context like the Italian Serie A. The Rossoneri had more than 10 additions to their roster at the beginning of the season and let go important, even if not really loved, pieces like M’baye Niang, which completely changed the equilibrium among the players.

This aggressive market strategy would be fine, if it only seemed to be part of a well-prepared rebuilding plan. Milan’s managers decided to extend Vincenzo Montella’s contract at the beginning of the transfer window, knowing he had a precise idea about tactics and playing style. However, it seemed that they didn’t care for his plans — except for Nikola Kalinic — and kept following their plan, acquiring a lot of players who clearly needed, and still need, a lot of time to adapt to Montella’s approach.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that this underachieving beginning of the season is not his fault. His in-game decision making has been arguably poor all season long, especially when a defensive or conservative approach had been preferred to a more offensive one. Also, it looks like he didn’t do a good job motivating his players when they needed some psychological support, which is as important as the tactics for a football coach.

In conclusion, these early season struggles might not be caused by a single man or a single management team, but it’s just part of a difficult rebuilding process. The hyper aggressive market strategy used by Fassone and Mirabelli clearly made Montella’s job harder and it still might take a while before everything starts working as it should. So, Milanisti, be patient: Montella is not a bad coach, these players are not bad and will play better as they adapt to the new team and the “market duo” will continue to work on improving the team.

Forza Milan!