Gazidis had already agreed to let Pioli go and bring Rangnick. But Pioli’s team is the best after the restart, and maybe he will stay.
The press wrote a lot about the internal conflict in the management of Milan. Managing director Ivan Gazidis, who enjoys the trust of the club’s owner Foundation, Elliott, was planning big changes in Milan. The result of these changes should have been the departure of the Milan legends from the team and, in general, the reduction of the Italian image of the team.
Zvonimir Boban has already left Milan. Paolo Maldini’s departure was almost decided as well. They were to be followed by Protestants Stefano Pioli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Gazidis planned to bring in Ralf Rangnick as both coach and sporting director.
It all seemed to be resolved. However, after a coronavirus-induced restart, everything got mixed up. The reason for this is the excellent play of Stefano’s team. Milan are showing the highest quality football in Italy with Atalanta at this point and have the most points since the restart – the team has won every game (including Juventus and Lazio) and played only one draw.
Bringing Ralf Rangnick in this situation, the best result of which is Leipzig training looks a bit strange. The idea has already been questioned by former AC Milan coach Fabio Capello, who noted that Rangnik “has done some interesting things, albeit in minor places.”
Another Milan legend, Arigo Sacchi, supported Pioli:
“Pioli is the protagonist. He changed the team’s game. I’ve known and respected Pioli for a long time. If Milan let him go, it will not be difficult for him to find a new team. He should be proud of his work.”
According to the Italian press, the leadership of Milan is considering keeping Pioli. If Milan continues to play like this, Rangnick will only be offered the post of sporting director.