‘Worth virtually everything’ – how the next 11 days will reveal a lot about Pioli’s future.
According to a report, the next 11 days will reveal much about how AC Milan’s season will be regarded and what the future holds for Stefano Pioli.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (see below), the next 11 days will include the opening leg of the Europa League quarter-finals at San Siro against Roma, an away match against Sassuolo on Sunday, the return leg in Roma, and the derby against Inter on April 22. You may then add the encounter against Juventus the next weekend to complete the mosaic: in around twenty days, the Rossoneri will have a good idea how their 2023-24 season will be judged.
Another turnaround. Gerry Cardinale, who was sitting next to Zlatan Ibrahimovic at a Financial Times event in London at the end of February, expressed his dissatisfaction with how things were going at the time.
From that point forward, a mechanism was activated that Rossoneri fans have grown to know well over the last four and a half years: the team’s recovery under Pioli. Several times throughout his Milan stint, when he was called into question and even when names of potential replacements were mentioned, the coach found a way to react aggressively. He has also done it recently: after a variable first half of the season and a more convincing start to 2024, the month of March was faultless, with all wins accumulated.
Milan has already won seven games in a row, allowing the Rossoneri to not only finish second and go to the quarter-finals of the European championship, but also to reunite some of its top players or uncover new ones.
Europe is decisive. However, in a season overshadowed by Inter’s remarkable run, Pioli’s destiny may be determined by his European performance. The continental tournament is the Diavolo’s final prize of the season, and it is the only one the club has never won.
Milan, in their current form, believes they can compete with anyone, including Liverpool, who might face them in the final in Dublin. For the time being, the club and Pioli must focus on Roma: an unexpected upset in the Europa League quarter-finals, the derby, or Juventus might cast doubt on the coach’s future for next season.