4 Potential Replacements for Filippo Inzaghi Should AC Milan Sack Him

As the losses piled up, so did the rumours. Filippo Inzaghi has not even lasted a year without answering questions about his job.

Right now, his team is exactly where it was when he took the post: in eighth place. He has a better team than Clarence Seedorf ever had, yet it was Seedorf with nine more points after 19 matches. Inzaghi has now had the benefit of two transfer windows, while Seedorf had half of one.

There is reason to criticize the first-time coach. The same mistakes keep on happening. Set pieces keep on haunting them. The lineup keeps on changing. The team keeps on sitting back.

Let's say Milan do make a change. They would need a manager with experience. There should be no more first-timers: they cannot afford to hold anyone's hand.

The following is a list of managers who could replace Inzaghi, ranked by probability. 

Antonio Conte

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

Antonio Conte had already agreed to coach Milan in the summer, but they went with Inzaghi instead.

Conte is now coaching the Italian national team, and it is unlikely that he will leave his post. Sky reported last week that he could handle both international and club duties (h/t Football Italia), but that is a stretch.

In any case, CEO Adriano Galliani told Corriere della Sera (h/t ESPN FC) that Inzaghi "is very similar" to Conte. It seems like Conte is a ship that has already left the dock.

Fabio Capello

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Fabio Capello has coached Milan on two different occasions. The first try between 1991 and 1997 was a huge success: Milan won nine major trophies during that span.

The second spell lasted one sorry season.

But he is familiar with the club, and he may just be the kind of coach to pull these players by the ears and show them the Milan way.

His current situation as coach of Russia is not exactly comfortable. The Russian Football Union said in December that it was close to paying the 68-year-old's salary, per The Guardian, but he's gone more than six months without pay.

Milan and Capello are essentially seeking the same thing: stability. 

Luciano Spalletti

Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press

Luciano Spalletti has been linked with the Milan job before. He was coaching Zenit St. Petersburg at the time, but he has since been sacked.

Spalletti may be the best coaching candidate for the Rossoneri. Silvio Berlusconi likes to see his team attack, and it is precisely this kind of football that Spalletti plays. 

He is also a tactical coach, something that Inzaghi is not right now. Spalletti is not afraid of changing his formation—he once played with a 4-6-0 at Roma—and he puts a great emphasis on getting his team organized, which Milan are not.

Zenit fired Spalletti in 2014, but he is still collecting pay from his contract. He is a free man in the summer, and perhaps that's when Milan will make their move.

Vincenzo Montella

Fabrizio Giovannozzi/Associated Press

Vincenzo Montella is the most popular candidate for Milan. 

The Fiorentina coach was heavily linked with the Milan job last year while Seedorf was in charge.

Former players have even endorsed the 40-year-old in the past. "He represents a fresh face and a new mentality, and his sides play good football," Gennaro Gattuso told Sky Sports in 2013 (h/t Goal.com).

Montella has revitalized Fiorentina and brought them back into Europe. He has a winning percentage over 50 percent, and he has managed back-to-back fourth-place finishes with Fiorentina while also progressing to the Coppa Italia final (all of this despite numerous key injuries to his players).