It’s fair to say that Gennaro Gattuso is steadily turning things around at the AC Milan. Starting 2018 in the bottom half but now finding themselves in 7th place perhaps suggests a resurgence in form. This could see them finishing in the European spots come the end of the season.
Is there an AC Milan revival on the cards?
Since the appointment of the former Milan player at the end of November, it is without question that new life has been breathed into the Rossoneri. The turning point definitely came in their Coppa Italia quarter-final victory over Inter in December. Perhaps a win against their city rivals was the necessary ingredient needed to kick-start their ailing season.
It must also be said that since Gattuso’s appointment, the mood around the San Siro has lifted greatly. After Milan’s 2-1 win over Lazio last Sunday the scenes depicted a team overjoyed at their recent success. It also showed a togetherness that we haven’t seen for a long while at the Milan club. Gattuso has even stated that the players all ‘want to eat together’ after training sessions. This heavily implies a closeness and collectiveness that is paying dividends on the pitch. Furthermore, the Milan head coach has also said that he does his job to ‘make the players happy’, and clearly it’s working well.
Spreading to the Players
This change in attitude has also permeated into the player’s work ethic on the training pitch. The team are now willing to double training sessions, which is often a rarity unless players are forced into it. This is, therefore, is testament to their resurgent form in January. They’ve turned lacklustre, pallid performances under Vincenzo Montella into robust displays that have seen them record 3 wins on the bounce against the likes of Crotone, Cagliari and Lazio.
After a summer of non-stop investment, hopes were high at the San Siro come the beginning of this campaign. However, poor management under Montella and underperforming signings have meant that the opening half of this season has been disappointing. Nevertheless, new coach Gennaro Gattuso is doing everything in his power to instil a work ethic within the team. He also wants to inject a self-belief and togetherness that will give AC Milan every chance of pulling off a revival come the second half of this season. Nonetheless it must be said that a lack of consistency has plagued the Rossoneri in past seasons. Let’s hope that their characteristic unpredictability doesn’t end up derailing them in the months to come.
Main Photo
