Sacchi questions Milan’s summer choices in scathing criticism: “Forget about the Scudetto” | OneFootball

Arrigo Sacchi believes that any faint Scudetto hopes have ended for AC Milan after what was a very dull spectacle at San Siro against Juventus.

The fall-out continues after Saturday’s game in which Milan managed just one shot on target against a depleted Juventus side due to having several injury problems.

The final score was 0-0 and the players were loudly jeered off the field, with many Rossoneri supporters realising the title dreams have died without much of a fight.

Milan have won just five of their first 12 league games and now it is looking more and more like getting a top four spot will be a difficult fight, let alone any ambitions of being champions.

Sacchi spoke in his weekly column for La Gazzetta dello Sport and he reflected on what was certainly far from a positive advert for Serie A between the two biggest clubs.

“I was at San Siro to watch Milan-Juve, driven above all by the curiosity to see live these two teams that have not yet expressed themselves at their best, in terms of play, neither in the league nor in the Champions League,” he said.

“Well, I was a spectator of a grey game that couldn’t be greyer: not even an emotion, not even a ring. But, if the Bianconeri had several absences and perhaps their subdued performance could be justified, Milan really disappointed me.

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“Hearing the whistles of the Rossonero crowd, absolutely understandable given the little that was seen, was a shock, the only one on a negative evening.

“I had Franco Baresi and Daniele Massaro next to me. Observing the slow pace of the game, I said to them: ‘If they continue like this, you can play too, and you’ll certainly make a good impression!’.

“In a situation like this, it is easy to lay all the blame on the coach. I am honest: it does not seem right, on my part, to criticise a colleague. I followed Fonseca in his experience in Ukraine and he made a good impression on me.

“In Rome he did not enchant, but doing well at a place like the Giallorossi is complicated for anyone, as the present demonstrates. In France, while not surprising for the quality of the game, he got by. Now, at Milan, he is in difficulty.

“But the question that must be asked is the following: did he choose all the players at his disposal? If so, then he is responsible. If, on the other hand, the managers gave them to him and said: ‘These are the players, now you think about it’, the blame must be shared with the club.

“This Milan are the victim of too many ups and downs. The team, in the sense of the group, is not there. We do not see a choral, collective game. The departments are not connected to each other: the defenders do not help the midfielders and the midfielders do not support the attackers.

“When I hear that Leao does not drag his team-mates along, I ask myself: do we want to understand that Leao is not a leader, due to a question of temperament?

“Sometimes, in certain games, he is a good player, other times you do not even notice him. It’s like when you go fishing: you never know if you will return with an empty or full basket.

“My fear is that, this summer, things were done with a bit of superficiality. Are we sure that the directors really wanted Fonseca on the bench? I don’t know. In any case, what Milan are producing is not satisfactory and the fans are very disappointed.

“Some, exaggerating their confidence, are still putting Milan among the possible candidates for the Scudetto. I maintain that the Rossoneri can forget about the Scudetto. There are too many teams ahead of them and, above all, these teams are going at a thousand miles an hour and all have a very specific game and identity.

“It is difficult for Milan to pull off a super comeback, also because there are many details to sort out to reach a good level. It seems more reasonable to me to focus on the Champions League and try to make as much progress as possible in Europe: perhaps it is a competition more suited to the Rossoneri, as one might think after the splendid victory against Real.

“However, there is a lot of work to do. It is not possible to play against Juve at home, in front of your own fans, and not even manage a shot on goal… These players must also be stimulated in their pride.

“You cannot think that the fault for the unsatisfactory results is always the coach’s, because otherwise you give an alibi to those who play.

“The secret of success is: a great club, a good coach and good players who follow him and would throw themselves into the fire for him. Are all these components present in today’s Milan?”