Legendary former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi believes Sergio Conceicao faces an insurmountable challenge at Milan. He expresses concern about history potentially repeating itself at San Siro and criticizes the club’s reversal on appointing Julen Lopetegui last year.
Currently, Milan is positioned ninth in Serie A, trailing the Champions League spots by 11 points. This makes qualifying for next season’s Champions League highly improbable at this point. The team is now reportedly focusing on the Coppa Italia and Europa League as achievable goals for this season.
While Conceicao’s position isn’t immediately threatened, speculation suggests that further deterioration in results could lead to a change.
Sacchi Highlights Milan’s Shortcomings and Questions Lopetegui Choice
In his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi argues that Milan’s problems originate from a ‘lack of clear vision’. He cites the club’s handling of the Lopetegui situation last summer as a prime example.
Lopetegui, previously with Real Madrid, Sevilla, Wolves, and West Ham, was strongly considered to succeed Stefano Pioli, who departed San Siro after the 2023-24 season.
However, strong negative reactions from Milan fans, including the #Nopetegui online campaign, seemingly caused Milan to reconsider and ultimately appoint Paulo Fonseca instead. Fonseca was later dismissed in December.
Sacchi believes that if Milan’s management was convinced of Lopetegui’s suitability, they should have stood by their decision, disregarding fan reactions.
Sacchi further suggests that if Silvio Berlusconi had been swayed by public opinion or media influence, he might never have taken over Milan.
Ultimately, Sacchi concludes that it is ‘complicated’ for Conceicao to save his position at San Siro. He identifies a lack of team unity as the core issue, overshadowing match results and scoring difficulties.
He also cautions against repeating past mistakes, such as acquiring players and a coach in the off-season only to replace them in January, as was the case with Fonseca and Alvaro Morata.