Former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi believes Stefano Pioli needs to be clearer in his tactics for the team. The Rossoneri are coming off the back of defeats to Juventus and PSG, and speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sacchi explained what he feels Milan need to do better, saying Pioli is responsible for the recent losses:
Stefano Pioli is in the dock. Is he responsible?
“The coach is always responsible, he knows this too. The point is that Pioli must give clarity to what he wants to do. He must explain well to the players how they should be on the pitch, how they should move. Milan must be a single block, no longer than thirty metres. This way there can be collaboration between the departments. If instead they want to stay long, too bad for them”.
Errors are seen in all departments. Let’s start with the defence. What do you think?
“They go their own way. Against Juve, on the occasion of Thiaw’s sending off, no one provided cover. The match was Thiaw against Kean. But then don’t play in a zone, you’re playing one against one… Since Franco Baresi is still in the club, you should ask him what should be done in situations like this. There is no coordination between the defenders, there are no double marking, we need to draw good diagonals that are effective. And the distances, which are fundamental, are not respected. Pioli must work a lot on this sector starting from a basic principle: the defenders, first of all, should be defenders and be in the correct positions.”
Against PSG, Mbappé was given several one-on-ones.
“Absurd. Exactly what the Frenchman wanted, who has technique and speed. Where was the doubling up? Yet I remember that last season, against Napoli, they doubled up and pressed Kvaratskhelia well. The problem is that, sometimes , the Rossoneri do the right things and then forget about it.”
What should Pioli do now?
“First of all he must take the situation into his own hands and organize the team according to clear principles. The group must be united, otherwise it ends up at sea. United technically, tactically and in spirit. And then the coach must be convinced of his ideas and pass this belief on to his kids. Show them where they went wrong, so they won’t make any more mistakes. And if there’s someone who causes discord, keep him out. If someone doesn’t do the things required, there’s always the bench.”
The midfield is also often in difficulty. What do you think?
“It’s a completely new department, they move with little harmony. Milan has changed many players this summer and those who have arrived are all foreigners. We know that in these cases a period of acclimatization is necessary. Furthermore, someone has been injured, Loftus-Cheek comes to mind, he started off quite well, and some are struggling more than expected. Patience is needed. But in the meantime, it is necessary to give clear, simple, clear ideas and rules so that no one can get confused.”
We see little pressing. Agree?
“Very little pressing, and that’s not good. You let the opponents advance and you defend in your own half of the pitch. If you do it against people like Mbappé it’s easy for you to go into crisis. But the pressing , when executed in a workmanlike manner, is the natural consequence of a short, narrow, coordinated team that doesn’t give space to rivals. You know how much confidence increases if you win the ball back in the attacking zone, and you know how anxious are the opponents are? When Milan won the Scudetto, they pressed, doubled their efforts, were attentive and intense. Well, I’d like to see those principles applied on the pitch again today.”
The Rossoneri attack is a problem: zero goals in the Champions League.
“Against Juve, in the championship, when they were left with ten men due to Thiaw’s expulsion, the Rossoneri were no longer able to get a shot on target. Yet in the first half they dominated. If a team is well organised, even in the numerical inferiority can bring danger to the opponents. The first thing I notice about the attackers is that they don’t move back. Giroud doesn’t move back, Leao doesn’t move back. So the collaboration and intensity of the game are lacking. And, above all, you can’t press because the team is reduced to seven-eight elements, instead of eleven”.
And then there are the psychological and environmental aspects to be reconstructed. Calabria’s statements, after the Champions League, demonstrate an uneasiness. What do you think?
“Bad comments, those of Calabria, because it conveys an idea of confusion. Furthermore, it seems to me that those words, pronounced in the heat of the moment after the match, show little respect towards the coach. However, and this must be underlined, they make it clear that underneath there is “It’s something that isn’t all rosy. And so we need to intervene as soon as possible to prevent the matter from getting complicated. Pioli has a difficult job ahead of him, it must be admitted, but he has the technical and moral qualities to get out of it.”
