Club Focus - Milan - A win on the pitch but signs of instability emerge

The Rossoneri successfully passed their first test following the European disappointment with a 2-0 win thanks to the returning Marco Borriello and young striker Alexandre Pato. Both players highlighted their importance to the club by scoring and showing the Rossoneri do have finishers who can convert scoring opportunities.

Against Manchester United, striker Borriello was sorely missed with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar unable to duplicate the consistency and perform the tasks expected of a central attacker in Coach Leonardo’s formation. The Brazilian might be deemed inexperienced but he has shown time and again he has a clear idea of how he wants the team to play and he is well aware of the players best equipped to implement his strategies. The club’s deficiencies cannot be blamed on Leonardo because he inherited the majority of the squad, with the exception of a few players. The management failed to fortify the squad as needed with no reinforcements signed to fill in the full-back positions, but Leonardo has shown he is capable of adapting to circumstances. He gave Christian Abbiati the task of protecting Milan’s goal and the Italian succeeded in preventing a late penalty-kick from rattling his goal. While he is not the flashiest of goalkeepers, Abbiati remains a more reliable alternative to the butter-handed Dida.

The mini crisis in Serie A and the recent defeat in the Champions League have once again reignited talk of whether Leonardo will be the Coach when next season starts. It appears every time Milan go through a slump the disappointing results are accompanied with talk of Leonardo nearing the axe. Vice-President Adriano Galliani came out and spoke in support of Leonardo, stressing the management is fully behind him, including President Silvio Berlusconi. The fact Galliani mentioned the club’s patron in name shows there might be some truth to the rumours of dissatisfaction brewing amongst the Rossoneri and particularly the irritated Berlusconi, who blasted the team’s performance in the Champions League. Berlusconi’s claims regarding the displays could be seen as a veiled attack against Leonardo, since he chooses the players and decides on the tactical approach of the team.

Leonardo responded through the Press assuring everyone he is calm but insisted he would leave if Berlusconi wanted. No matter how hard Galliani tries to paper over the differences it has become obvious there are dissenting views within the club. Even the incongruous connection with Marcello Lippi was made in recent times yet it did not generate any credibility as Lippi would more likely head to Vinovo to take over, with the Bianconeri desperately after him. Ironically one common feature between Milan and Juventus is the fact they gambled on young and inexperienced Coaches with the decision backfiring, particularly in the case of Juve.

Leonardo will survive this season but inconsistency means he is increasingly likely to be either relieved of his duties or get pressured into quitting to make it seem the club’s management chose him and showed faith in him. Yet he is the one who could not handle the demands of managing an elite club. Public perception is quite important at bigger clubs as proven in the case of the Bianconeri, where the club stuck with Ciro Ferrara till it became too risky to do so with the rookie Coach unwilling to personally step aside. The Josep Guardiola experiment, in reference to Barcelona’s successful choice of picking a young Coach from within its ranks, has failed miserably in Turin, while it has generated mixed results in Milan.

Leonardo’s main test will come at Old Trafford and if he can overcome Manchester United then he will most likely be returning next season – as long as the Rossoneri finish inside the top three in league standings. Milan’s campaign for next season has actually begun as the club must carefully judge which players are needed and who must be offloaded. They will definitely need to invest in at least one, if not two, full-backs to address a troublesome area while a young centre-back needs to be added and groomed under the guidance of the impeccable yet aging Alessandro Nesta.

One player who will likely seal his future with the club is Ronaldinho, who impressed against Bari despite failing to score. The Brazilian’s performances seem to play a significant role when it comes to the club’s fortunes. Ronaldinho has put behind rumours regarding his partying habits and is responding well to criticism. At Old Trafford, he will be the integral cog which will serve as the fulcrum for Milan’s chances of qualifying to the next round. On the other end Nesta will need to be at his best to try and restrict Wayne Rooney.