Keep him or sack him? / Image via liberquotidiano.it
Four games without a win, AC Milan find themselves in a seemingly hopeless position.
History teaches us, coach is the one who pays the price for the underachievement of his team, but is Sinisa Mihajlovic entirely to be blamed to AC Milan’s another unsuccessful spell in the Serie A?
Milan’s malware
Rossoneri have struggled for quite some time and their woes go beyond the current season.
Having been crowned the Italian champions in 2010-11, AC Milan have gone down the slide to runners-up next season and third-placed Serie A team in 2012-13 before experiencing an inexplicable fall to eight and tenth place in two successive seasons.
A scratch on the surface would reveal problems deeply rooted in the very system ran by Fininvest, the financial holding company owned by Silvio Berlusconi, the honorary president of AC Milan. With the introduction of the new Italian law in 2008 Silvio Berlusconi was forbidden to perform managing roles in private companies and clubs which has left the office of club president empty since May 2008.
Rossoneri’s downfall within the sport aspects and lack of result go hand in hand with club’s financial difficulties and an aggregate net loss in recent years which was one of the largest within the Italian football community in general.
Due to their financial struggles, AC Milan were forced to sell their most prized possessions in recent years in order to cover the losses which affected the team balance, disrupted the competitive edge and pushed Serie A giants into mediocrity they are yet to recover from.
Board are demanding results despite the chronic lack of adequate investments and it is fair to raise the question on whether Sinisa Mihajlovic is to be blamed for current lack of results.
Wielding the axe
AC Milan might be one of the most difficult surroundings to work in.
Club of great stature is suffering to get back on feet as direct competition is making huge strides and leaps to success. AC Milan struggle to keep up the pace with champions Juventus and AS Roma among other teams in Serie A with Rossoneri managers paying the ultimate price for failing to return AC Milan to their old paths of success.
Massimiliano Allegri survived four years on the back of his 2010-11 success at helm with winning the Supercoppa Italiana in the next season just byuing him some more time.
However, he paid the ultimate price in 20014 when he was sacked and replaced by club legend Clarence Seedorf, whose appointment was deemed a mistake only 22 games afterwards.
Filippo Inzaghi was given more time than his former colleague, but the Board had little patience with the legendary striker who was reprimanded for the poor rapport with his players as the main reason behind the lack of results.
Sinisa Mihajlovic had a fine spell with Sampdoria which recommended him as the perfect option for the job.
However, the Milan axe is once again threatening to prematurely end Mihajlovic’s spell at the club due to a poor run that could end Berlusconi’s Champions league dream in April already.
Rossoneri are 14 points behind third-placed AS Roma and Sunday’s loss to Atalanta was the last warning sign for the Serbian tactician.
Mihajlovic’s fault?
Sinisa Mihajlovic adopted his direct approach not all can understand and appreciate in order to turn AC Milan into an attractive, attack-oriented unit that would play to amuse and record results at the same time.
Carlos Bacca, Alessio Romagnoli, Andrea Bertolacci and Luca Antonelli as the most prominent signings are not the top-class players SInisa Mihajlovic needed to get AC Milan back to the throne despite their obvious qualities that have brought improvement to Rossoneri this season.
January and February were exciting months for all AC Milan fans, but lack of consistency has once again proved to be a problem for Rossoneri.
Combined with the lack of patience, it can be a deadly blend for any tactician at the helm and Mihajlovic is now standing in front of the greatest challenge in his AC Milan days.
Rossoneri will play host to Juventus this weekend and are given the odds of 16/5 to emerge victorious from their encounter with the champions.
It will perhaps be Mihajlovic’s last chance to prove his worth to the club’s management structures which could part ways with the Serbian manager in case of a loss.
Having already changed a number of coaches in recent years without desired effect, Milan’s board should ask themselves if their players perhaps got accustomed to frequent shock therapies and if it would be wiser to stick with one manager for a longer period of time for a change.
What is your opinion?
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