Empoli, Italy. 23rd Jan, 2016. Milan team group Football/Soccer : Giacomo Bonaventura of Milan celebrates his goal during the Italian “Serie A” match between Empoli FC 2-2 AC Milan at Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli, Italy . © Enrico Calderoni/AFLO SPORT/Alamy Live News
What a club, right?
AC Milan is quite comfortable one of the world names in football. They have been for major periods of the sports history, and have long been a name steeped in tradition and glory. However, the fizzling out of the Berlusconi era and the reluctance of the people in charge at the time to make the needed changes has allowed Milan to reach a structural, almost consistent, decay.
Despite being purchased recently and in the process of appointing new people to run the club, Milan are in a massive state. This summer, the club has seen its traditionally high player turnover. Players have moved on such as Diego Lopez and Jeremy Menez. The club introduced players like Mati Fernandes and Gustavo Gomez to replace the outgoings.
However, the club was in a position where, with new owners coming in during the window, very little movement occurred. New coach Vincenzo Montella needs to watch on with a half-built squad, wondering what the season will hold for the Milanese giants.
A Broken Squad
The biggest problem at Milan is the total imbalance of the team. The midfield feels really strange, with no wide plyers bar Suso, Keisuke Honda and M’Baye Niang remaining. They have a wealth of full-back options, but very few quality players at centre-back. Indeed, Alessio Romagnoli appears to be the only genuine star contender in the defence. Mattia De Sciglio could and Davide Calabria could become important options in the future, but the squad feels so lethargic in key positions.
Up front, the forward options bar Carlos Bacca are pretty awful. The club has very little in way of talented players to turn to up front, so if Bacca gets injured there could be a real issue scoring goals.
Unsure Investment
Also, nobody knows just how much finance the new owners are going to bring to the table. Could this be yet another poor deal for the Milanese giants?
The investment strategy means it’s hard to see if Milan have the chance for genuine progress. Even their equally crazy neighbors, Internazionale, are beginning to get it together a little. They made smart purchases with the likes Antonio Candreva and Gabriel Barbosa. They have the structure and five or six quality players to build a team around that could, eventually, challenge Juventus and Roma for the Scudetto.
Milan, though, feel further away than they’ve ever been here.
The future of the club is almost entirely dependent on the smart and fair investment coming in from the Chinese owners. Thy need to also, crucially, get people in charge who have a long-term vision for the club. Milan needs someone who can form a long-term team, who can get ex-players involved in setting the standards of the club once again, and in being prepared for a long-term plan.
As a club, no other of the games traditional giants is struggling like Milan. The poor quality of squad and the investment dilemmas means that, for now, they’ll continue to struggle.
