Get Ready to Say Goodbye to Montella
AC Milan will undergo a very decisive game this weekend. They will face one city rivals Inter Milan at the San Siro. This match not only determines the fate of Milan at the end of the season but will also be a trial for Vincenzo Montella as Rossoneri coach.
Facing Inter is not an easy match for Milan. Reflecting on the last two meetings last season the result is always a draw (under the care of Montella). Especially ahead of the first edition derby this season, Milan are experiencing problems mentality. In the last two games in Serie A, Milan always swallow defeat.
Again, facing Inter is no easy matter for Milan. This season Milan proved unable to prove his valor when facing big teams (still under the care of Montella). Entering the seventh week, Milan recorded a victory four times. The victory was only achieved when faced teams with relatively lower levels: Crotone, Cagliari, SPAL, and Udinese. Facing AS Roma, Lazio, Sampdoria, Milan always bowed.
Defeat against Scudetto challenger teams such as Inter Milan may be understandable if Milan do not revamp the squad during the transfer market last summer. Instead, Milan's top brass has poured huge funds to buy 11 new players, spending around 200 million euros.
Montella error
As a coach with a luxury squad, Montella should be able to get better results. But Montella often makes Milan fans disappointed with his controversial decision. Even the former owner and president of Milan, Silvio Berlusconi, did not hesitate to call Montella as a coach who does not understand football.
Berlusconi's statement seems to have a basis. It was a strange decision when Montella never gave trust to Andre Silva who bought for 38 million euros from Porto in the transfer market last summer.
The 21-year-old striker should have gained confidence from the first day of joining Milan. Although fairly young, he has proved his sharpness on the front lines. Season 2016/17, he was able to collect 21 goals from 44 appearances in all competitions with Porto. When playing with the Portuguese national team, Silva also showed instinct 'killer' to all opponents. During the 2018 World Cup qualifying round only, Silva was able to collect nine goals from 10 appearances. And in his last three appearances, he always scored in Portugal.
Montella's decision to bring in Nikola Kalinic as the first choice is a big question. The reason is, Silva still needs adaptation in Italy. Such an assumption is not entirely true because a player who can perform well at the level of matches against opponents from various countries.
Another problem with Montella in Milan is his inability to develop creative games with 3-5-2 formations. When faced with Sampdoria, Milan were not able to make the right shots. And when opponents AS Roma, Milan just three times to experiment right on target but not fruitful goals.
Pseudo Support on Montella
So far Montella is still 'looking' to get support from the management of Milan. The club's sporting director, Massimiliano Mirabelli, has stated that Montella still needs time to integrate Milan's squad into a whole team. The statement was delivered after Milan lost opponents AS Roma at home.
However, the statement can not be a reference. If Milan again experienced defeat against Inter, then the position of Montella can turn 180 degrees.
Currently Milan are ranked seventh with 12 points. With Lazio ranked fourth, Milan are four points away. Meanwhile, the four teams that occupy the top flight play relatively consistently. Napoli always win throughout this season while Juventus and Inter Milan just once the balance is always winning.
That is, if AC Milan suffered a defeat again in the face of the Nerazzurri will force club owners to take decisive action to save the expensive fleet that is being swayed. One way is to replace the nahkodanya. Montella had to retreat.
The three-game losing streak after losing to Sampdoria and AS Roma will certainly further minimize Milan's chances of qualifying for the Champions League. Meanwhile, qualifying for the Champions League next season is an obligation that can not be negotiable. If not, Milan will suffer losses and the purchase of massive players in the summer of yesterday potentially impact on Financial Fair Play (FFP) violations.
Qualifying for the Champions League as Milan's main target of the season is actually relatively easier. The reason, the Italian League began this season began to get a quota of four teams that directly qualify for the most prestigious European competition.
Substitution coach if experiencing the defeat of Inter is also important to do Milan to maintain the enthusiasm of fans. At the start of this season there were signs of a resurgence of Milan fans' enthusiasm to provide direct support at the stadium. It proved the increase in season ticket sales compared with the previous season. When Milan undergo a game against Craiova in the Europa League for example, 60 thousand tickets are sold out sold out. All that can not be separated from the presence of pre-star players to Milan.
Such enthusiasm needs to be maintained. The series of disappointing results can immediately turn off the growing Rossoneri animation tifosi. Especially if Milan remain forced to defend Montella, will certainly cause systemic effects, which will inevitably impact on declining ticket sales matches that make the club's income decreased.
Carlo Ancelotti Replace Montella
Carlo Ancelotti is the most fitting candidate to replace Montella. Currently, the coach who had scooped success with Milan in the 2000s was empty after leaving Bayern Munich.
Ancelotti himself has given signs of opening the door back to Milan. He once said, if he could, he wanted to coach Milan in turns with Montella-because previously Montella mentioned Ancelotti would only be his assistant if he returned to Milanello.
Ancelotti had once refused a chance to return to Milan after leaving Real Madrid on the pretext of wanting to rest. But beyond that, Milan was in the midst of a financial crisis so he is suspected to hesitate to return to the San Siro because they do not want to sacrifice a good reputation. Now, with enough funding support from China's new landlord, Ancelotti can certainly see his chances of success if he returns to Milan. (Read: Waiting for Carlo Ancelotti Returning to Milan)
In addition to Ancelotti, Milan also mentioned glancing at Antonio Conte. But to make it happen, Milan have to wait until the end of this season. Because, Conte will not leave from Chelsea in mid-season.
In conclusion, Milan will make a big evaluation on the performance of Montella after the game against Inter later. If lost, Montella's fate will not be far from dismissal and Don Carlo is the right substitute.
Ready to say goodbye to Montella?