{"id":559146,"date":"2020-07-22T14:55:54","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T18:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=559146"},"modified":"2020-07-22T14:55:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T18:55:54","slug":"stefano-pioli-and-ac-milan-are-heading-in-the-right-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/07\/22\/stefano-pioli-and-ac-milan-are-heading-in-the-right-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"Stefano Pioli and AC Milan Are Heading in the Right Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last night, AC Milan<\/a> announced an extension<\/a> until 2022 for manager Stefano Pioli. This came as a surprise, as the\u00a0Rossoneri\u00a0<\/em>looked certain to employ Ralf Rangnick for next season and beyond. The motive is clear, however. Milan has seen success under Pioli and want to remain heading in that direction.<\/p>\n

The Future of AC Milan Under Stefano Pioli<\/h2>\n

Recent Results<\/h3>\n

Milan are undefeated since Serie A’s restart. Last night saw another victory versus Sassuolo, even though two starters left the game in the first half due to injury.<\/p>\n

The club has played nine league matches since the restart. They’ve won seven and have drawn two, returning 23 points out of a possible 27. The victories include drubbings over the likes Juventus<\/a>, Lazio, and Roma. A draw versus SPAL was regrettable, but the other draw versus Napoli was nothing to be ashamed of.<\/p>\n

The most noticeable difference is that the players have confidence and are scoring goals at will. Before the season’s hiatus, Milan scored 28 goals in 26 matches. Now they have scored 27 goals in nine matches, a truly staggering difference. In addition to this, Milan has scored more than a goal in nine consecutive matches for the first time since 1964.<\/p>\n

Continuity<\/h3>\n

It’s safe to say that one of Milan’s main issues over the past decade was a lack of continuity. The revolving door of managers continued year after year. It’s a sigh of relief for the Rossoneri\u00a0<\/em>faithful to have the same manager who ended a season start the next.<\/p>\n

Players can struggle if they are forced to continuously change the system they play in. Pioli and Milan have found great success with this system, so it’s only logical to keep it going.<\/p>\n

Milan will once again miss out on Champions League football but mathematically qualified for Europa League last night. That doesn’t match the club’s expectations, but it’s another sign of progress.<\/p>\n

A Cemented Crop of Players Under Pioli<\/h3>\n

Gianluigi Donnarumma<\/a> and Alessio Romagnoli<\/a> have been locked into the starting XI for a couple of years, and have been seen as the club’s future. A new crop of permanent names has emerged under Pioli, however.<\/p>\n

Ante Rebic<\/a>, Ismael Bennacer<\/a>, Franck Kessie<\/a>, Theo Hernandez<\/a>, and Hakan Calhanoglu<\/a> are in hot form. They have been fantastic with Pioli at the helm. That’s already the majority of the starting XI.<\/p>\n

Simon Kjaer<\/a> is performing well too, and could very well remain a starter for another season. Then, of course, there is Zlatan Ibrahimovic<\/a>. His contract has not been extended yet, but he could very well remain on the team after Pioli was extended. Ibrahimovic may not be able to start every single game at his age, but young gem Rafael Leao<\/a> can step in.<\/p>\n

Pioli uses a 4-2-3-1 formation, meaning one wing position and right-back are the only question marks for now. Securing two starters shouldn’t be a major issue during the next transfer window. Milan has the tools to return to the Champions League if they continue this form into next season.<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>