Another great match and another disappointing result for AC Milan. The Rossoneri exited the Coppa Italia in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 loss to Atalanta in a match in which they were leading. Rafael Leao’s brilliant goal just inside the box temporarily equalized thanks to an equally clear shot from La Dea’s Teun Koopmeiners, with his weaker right foot. Eventually, the game drifted away from Milan, with Koopmeiners converting a penalty in the 59th minute.
Milan tried desperately to restore parity, but the truth of the matter is that Atalanta stopper Marco Carnesecchi was scarcely troubled in goal. It was a limp defeat for Milan in a season full of them. There was a genuine chance for the club to win this competition this season with Inter and Napoli already out, and with the Rome derby meaning one of the sides from the capital would also be out at the quarter final stage.
Of the league’s biggest groups, only Juventus remain and Stefano Pioli will no doubt know that the defeat to Atalanta is a missed opportunity to offer the club their second medal in what will likely be his final season at the club.
This crusade is too far away for Pioli, who, while beloved by the owners of the RedBird club, would probably have outgrown his embrace. Milan have shone at times this season, but when it was too late, such as on the road. beat Newcastle in the last match of the Champions League organisational phase. The Europa League now represents Pioli’s last chance to leave the club with any other trophy besides the Scudetto won in 2021/22, but as long as Liverpool are in the competition, it is doubtful that Milan can realistically continue to win.
The Milan of 2023-24 can be maddening to watch: inspired one minute; flat the next. Within the confines of a 90-minute game, Rossoneri fans run the gambit of emotions: from ebullience to utter despair. On their day they can be brilliant, such as the demolition of Empoli last weekend, then comes the Atalanta performance just three days later.
A main challenge is that Pioli doesn’t seem to find answers to Milan’s challenges. Atalanta even rested their players against Milan for the cup clash, while Pioli recruited his most productive men (or at least those who were available) and still lost. The Tuscan seems like a guy without concepts and without a plan B if A doesn’t solve it.
Rumours of Pioli’s summer departure continue to rumble gentle in the background, with it being reported that Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to bring in Antonio Conte as boss from next season. Conte, currently sans club since leaving Tottenham and rejecting Napoli when Aurelio De Laurentiis was sacking Rudi Garcia earlier this season, would no doubt demand a significant transfer budget. This is something that may not sit well with the RedBird ownership, who like to keep a lid on finances. Moreover, the owners appreciate Pioli exactly because he doesn’t kick up a fuss as pertains to transfers.
Still, there would already be plenty of prospects at the club that Conte could paint with if he were to arrive. What is also undeniable is that it would make Milan more defensively forged than they have been in the last two seasons under Pioli. is out of their control, as Milan have endured a nightmare season due to injuries, especially in defense.
Milan are at best a top-four team, but they have huge chances to do much more given the ability the team has, but it seems that many in the team want an injection of something new, a new impetus to revitalise the players who have been betting on Pioli at this stage for several years.
No coach has lasted this long in Milan since Carlo Ancelotti’s conquering reign in the 2000s, and as the season progresses and the Rossoneri continue to show frustrating inconsistency, we may see Pioli’s game over.
And that will necessarily be a bad thing.