Over the last five years, AC Milan have not had the
easiest of times.
In the period spanning the 2013-14 season to the 2017-18
season, this iconic club never finished higher than sixth in Serie A, lost two
Coppa Italia finals, and only played in European competition twice, with both
runs ending in early exits. On top of all these, Milan had previously been
banned from the 2018-19 Europa League due to Financial Fair Play violations,
though this ban was revoked in July 2018.
However, for the first time in a very long time, the Rossoneri’s future appears to be fairly
bright.
In their match this past weekend, Milan beat last
season’s Champions League semifinalists Roma 2-1, with substitute Patrick
Cutrone netting the winning goal in stoppage time.
This victory could very well be a sign that after a
protracted stretch of poor results, the team may finally be beginning to gel.
If one just takes a look at the players currently at AC
Milan, one would expect them to be doing significantly better than they have in
the last few years.
This is a team containing some very solid players such as
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Franck Kessié, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Ricardo Rodríguez,
among others. Though none of these players can be called superstars, nor are
any of them even close to that coveted label, they are all good enough to
function as important pieces of a team that can challenge for top-four status
in the league and make a deep run in Europe.
That’s not even mentioning the fact that this past
off-season, Milan brought in players such as Pepe Reina, Mattia Caldara, Diego
Laxalt, Ivan Strinić, and of course, Gonzalo Higuaín. Now, although I have been
critical of Higuaín in the past, he, along with the other signings I have just
mentioned, are all significant upgrades over the players who were already at
the club, as well as those who have recently left the San Siro, such as M’Baye
Niang, Nikola Kalinić, and Carlos Bacca.
Another important factor to consider is the coach.
Since taking over at the helm of Milan in November 2017
after replacing Vincenzo Montella, Gennaro Gattuso has only enhanced his status
as a club legend, having played for AC Milan for 13 years, during which he won
five major trophies including two Champions League titles.
Gattuso was able to reverse a horrible start in the
league to steer the club to a final position of sixth, which put them into the
Europa League. Such an outcome seemed unthinkable when Gattuso first took the
job.
Those who remember “Rino”’s career as a player will know
that there have been, and will be, very few players who bring the level of
intensity and drive that Gattuso did to every single game. This inner fire
seems to have continued into his coaching career and, more importantly, has
rubbed off on the Milan players. Almost as soon as Gattuso became the Milan
coach, it seemed as if the players’ effort and desire for victory doubled
overnight.
Another factor working in Milan’s favour is the status of
some of the other leading Italian clubs.
AS Roma, Lazio, and Napoli all appear to be weaker this
season.
Roma sold Radja Nainggolan, Alisson, and Kevin Strootman
during the recently-concluded transfer window. Although they did sign Justin
Kluivert and Javier Pastore among others, Kluivert is still just 19, while in
my opinion, Pastore is a downgrade when compared to either Nainggolan or
Strootman.
Lazio, meanwhile, lost Stefan de Vrij and Felipe
Anderson, while making absolutely no signings that moved the needle in any
significant way.
Napoli may be the club that suffers the largest drop-off
from last season. They have clearly downgraded in goal, replacing Reina with David
Ospina. Napoli also sold Jorginho to Chelsea, and most crucially, lost ex-coach
Maurizio Sarri to the Blues as well. Although his replacement Carlo Ancelotti
is one of the greatest coaches of all time, it may take a while for him to
adapt to the club and make a positive impact while there.
All things considered, this season could shape up to be
the best in many years for one of Italy’s most storied clubs. While I don’t
necessarily think they will hit such heights, do not be surprised if Milan finish
as high as second in Serie A, win the Europa League, or both.
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