AC Milan’s Season In Three Acts – Sufferings, Sackings And Seedorf

By Parth Pandya
10 years Ago

A little more than a year ago, it was a moment of madness from Philippe Mexes on the final day of the season and the resultant euphoria was practically unstoppable. For a brief moment, the ecstasy of the occasion clearly took the eyes and minds too off the challenges that AC Milan were bound to face in the upcoming season despite the Champions League berth having been sealed. It seemed as if few were willing to wake up to the daunting realities for the next two months and the consequences for the inactions were always going to be rather unforgiving.

The inaction, the denial of a problem clear as a daylight and an all too familiar intransigence carried all the way in the lead-up to the next season ensured Mexes continued to produce moments of madness aplenty ai??i?? sadly though, more often than not losing the track of his on-field duties. The French Centre Backai??i??s much ridiculed cluelessness in the middle from time to time during the course of the season is symbolic of the larger scheme of things at the club.

Ever since bagging the Champions League title in 2007, Milan have failed to live up to those lofty standards and the downfall has been alarmingly steady. But unreasonable decisions borne out of impulse have never been the modus operandi of the much celebrated think tank at the clubai??i??s helm. The last twelve months however saw a chain of events that would compel one to question the wisdom of those calling shots at Casa Milan. The refusal to acknowledge the squadai??i??s shortcomings, the continuous quest to create a scapegoat out of every situation and yet following it up with another decision that one would fail to reason with ai??i?? these arenai??i??t exactly the attributes of a club that has its ambitions in place and most certainly not of the one that is on the right track.

A flashback of the entire 2013-14 season for AC Milan could be presented in three acts, each of which competes in tragedy and tragedy only with the other two.

Sufferings

Whatai??i??s common between the Second Coming and a promising start to the season under Max Allegri? We have never seen either happen. In his fourth straight successive season, Allegri failed to conquer the most decisive weeks in the months of September and October. The ground lost during this particular phase is always hard to cover for and sadly the fairytale of the previous season was not to be replicated.

Allegri however, unlike his preconceived image was willing to make tactical adjustments with his squad and several formations were tried during the initial weeks. His unabated affinity for 4-3-1-2 was finally diluting to the needs of the hours and a wider, a more expansive 4-3-3 was put in place. The width however hardly added any teeth to the attack and while trying one combination of players too many, the collective accomplishments bordered on nothing. Stephan El Shaarawyai??i??s absence that nearly prolonged to the conclusion of the season was one major factor behind the managerai??i??s failure with his tactical choices but even after adding every possible argument to strengthen his case, thereai??i??s very little to defend the results produced by Allegri on logical grounds.

The sufferings for the season however, transcended the events on the pitch and the boardroom politics was forced to be discussed into public domain probably for the first time in the history of the club. Factions were forming, internal frictions were developing and apparently the power was seemed shifting to a younger few which wasnai??i??t exactly appreciated by those holding their forts for ages. The fans were more vocal than ever and the Curva Sud made their disapproval of the way the club is being run fairly clear with almost holding the management ransom. Highly popular and fan favourite figures such as Kaka and Christian Abbiati were forced to intervene at least a couple of fan processions outside the San Siro. Assurances, howsoever fickle were sought by fans from those who tend to promise a whole lot of things for what they actually manage to deliver.

There was a time in the season when Adriano Galliani ai??i?? arguably the most influential cog in the Milanese wheel and Berlusconiai??i??s most trusted confidante ai??i?? had nearly threatened to leave foreseeing an alternate rise in power. Galliani was persuaded to stay put and in yet another move of nostalgic reverence, his consistent failure at delivering top players was once again overlooked. Surely this entire brouhaha was going to reflect in the teamai??i??s performance and despite an odd victory or two here and there that majorly flattered to deceive, there wasnai??i??t much to look forward to. The improvements were far from substantial despite the change in regime midway in the season and the top managementai??i??s prolonged resistance against taking ownership of the situation was in fact far more frustrating for the fans than the eventual standing on the league table.

Sackings

Of course, Italy is no model of sanity in football administration, particularly with characters like Maurizio Zamparini running their business in this land. And thus, considering the general trend of booting managers for fun in the country, Berlusconi and Galliani had probably done something worth a nod of appreciation by providing Allegri an extension that he richly merited after the tremendous turnaround in the previous season. They however failed aiding him with a financial muscle to strengthen his resources.

In a big move that history might regard as a misplaced one, Milan brought back the prodigal son, the crowd darling, an erstwhile genius with ball at his feet but at the same time, one surely being well past his best years. Kakaai??i??s free transfer might have several commercial propositions in the potential international markets but talking strictly from the footballing perspective, he added little to the squad. His stats and performance highlights might tell a far more likable story but the dipping levels of energy in his game were more than apparent at most times. Allegriai??i??s 4-3-3 never presented a gameplay that could extract the best out of both Kaka and Montolivo and the teamai??i??s attacking game went completely haywire during his last few games in charge.

But what happens when you make Daniele Bonera race in a one-on-one against the sensational, dazzling Sassuolo youngster Domenico Berardi? The best Bonera could finish is third. The 4-3 defeat on nineteenth matchday of the season was the final straw in the camelai??i??s back. But Allegriai??i??s removal or for that matter even his replacement was never going to be enough. Milanai??i??s problems are far more structural in nature and decentralizing some of the Galliani power could have gone a long way in at least providing a symbolic start. Instead, the trusted Ariedo Braidaai??i??s services were terminated ai??i?? albeit with good reason but once again Gallianiai??i??s clear misreading of the market failed to meet the top managementai??i??s wrath. In fact, whoai??i??s top management at Milan outside him in the first place?

Seedorf

The final act of the complete tragedy that the season was is the appointment of club legend Clarence Seedorf as direct replacement for Allegri. For the record, even at the time of the formal announcement of his appointment, Seedorf did not boast of a pro licence and could only manage to coach Milan with Berlusconi seeking some technical dispensation with the FIGC. Seedorf has always been believed to be someone who has Berlusconiai??i??s ear. Galliani may not have been his biggest fan but the urgency with which this move was exercised dropped enough signs of Berlusconiai??i??s keenness on having his trusted one back on board.

Seedorfai??i??s return, much as anticipated, was met with enthusiasm and positivity and the tactical measures he took to revive the teamai??i??s game won him some plaudits both from the pundits and fans alike. The gameplay was different, training routines were different and to an extent he enjoyed working with a squad that was although minimally, an upgrade over his predecessorai??i??s after the additions from the winter mercato. Both Adel Taarabt and Adil Rami reinvigorated the lost zeal and Ai??lan. Seedorfai??i??s biggest challenge in his very first managerial assignment was to handle a certain Mario Balotelli and ensure his ai???talentai??i?? and ai???enormous potentialai??i?? actually started translating into goals. Being a Black footballer himself having played for so many years in Italy, Seedorf was also expected to prove the perfect mentor figure while dealing with some of the situations that Balotelli continues to face from time to time.

One must admit, Seedorf did his job alright. Given the resources, time and the kind of mental state the team he took over was in, he did admirably well to bring the side almost in contention for a Europa League spot. Should the period he was in charge of the club be viewed in isolation, only three teams (Juventus, Roma and Napoli) have fared better than Milan in those nineteen matchdays. That his primary job upon arrival was damage control meant he could not experiment too much with his tactics which stopped him from integrating many of the squad players in his setup unless absolutely needed. Seedorf preferred starting Balotelli as the lone man upfront and ensured the mercurial Italian forward contributed much more to the overall attacking build-up linking better with the likes of Kaka and Taarabt.

Berlusconi though is reportedly not highly impressed with what Seedorf has pulled off and there are very strong suggestions of Filippo Inzaghi being handed over the charge of the club ahead of the next season ai??i?? which again begs the question; why was it not put in place in January earlier this year? The entire exercise of having Seedorf travel across oceans cutting his playing career short is rendered pretty meaningless from that point and the club owes Seedorf much more than a compensation package in this case. Should the goodwill be at loss even to one of the clubai??i??s very own, the outer world should find all the more reasons to be suspect about engaging into any form of business with the club.

Afterthoughts

The season has done the brand Milan the greatest possible damage and itai??i??s going to take some doing now to restore the fansai??i?? confidence and playersai??i?? belief. Milan may not be enjoying the luxury of unrestricted injection of external cash but at the same time, the current dire state of affairs cannot be neglected anymore. But from the looks of it, no groundbreaking changes appear in sight. Unless of course, they do!

Categories: AC Milan, Features, Italia Serie A
Tags: AC Milan Adriano Galliani Clarence Seedorf massimiliano allegri

Sufferings

Sackings

Seedorf

Afterthoughts

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