5 Biggest Issues Facing New AC Milan Boss Sinisa Mihajlovic
For the last two weeks everyone knew that Sinisa Mihajlovic was going to coach AC Milan next season.
On Tuesday the Rossoneri finally made that official. Incumbent coach Filippo Inzaghi was dismissed from his position. Shortly afterwards the Serbian was officially declared the new boss on a two-year contract.
Mihajlovic turned in a fantastic season this year at Sampdoria, but he comes to the San Siro facing major question marks.
This is a team in disarray. Mihajlovic will be the team's fourth coach in three seasons. Over the last five years they have been on a progressive decline that has dropped steeply the last two years in particular. Some areas of the team have major holes, and even though the team has newly rediscovered spending power in the market, it remains to be seen if that money will be used to fill those holes in a sustainable fashion or just to make a splash to try and placate the fanbase.
What are the biggest challenges Mihajlovic will have to face in his effort to bring Milan back to the top? Let's take a look at the five most pressing issues.
Who Is Going to Defend?
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AC Milan has a proud defensive history. Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva and, of course, Paolo Maldini have graced the back line over the club's illustrious history.
That's why the defensive deficiencies of this team over the last few seasons have been so shocking. They are easily traced to the summer of 2012, when Nesta left the team to end his career in MLS and Silva was packaged with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and sold to Paris Saint-Germain for a huge sum.
The loss of the former deprived the team of a lot of its experience and leadership. That of the latter saw arguably the world's best defender leave the team and was the first overt sign that the team didn't have the buying power in the market it once did. Without them, the Rossoneri have relied on a ragtag bunch of center-backs and the starting lineup has been in constant flux.
This year was far and away the worst. Three defenders—Mattia De Sciglio, Philippe Mexes and Daniele Bonera—contributed five of the 13 red cards that Milan players saw in the 2014-15 season. They shipped 50 goals this season—one more than last year—and would have conceded significantly more had Diego Lopez not been in stunning form all year between the posts.
For all the transfer rumors springing up since Bee Taechaubol's investment in the team allowed Adriano Galliani to flash the cash again, very little talk has been made of bringing in reinforcements for this maligned unit.
Both Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport reported (h/t Football Italia) on Sunday that Mats Hummels had drawn Milan's interest—the first such report to really mention a high-quality defender—but they are likely to have difficulty gaining his signature.
Manchester United has been tracking the player for the better part of a year now and have Champions League soccer to offer, something that will be attractive for a player who has been in the knockout stages regularly for years.
Whether they get a big name or cheaper alternatives, Milan need to change things in defense and they need to do so drastically. Unless that help comes, Mihajlovic is going to have to work magic to make this patchwork defense into a contending team.
Who's Going to Score Goals?
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On the other end of the field Milan has almost as big a question.
Since Ibrahimovic left, Milan has failed to find a consistent top striker. Stephan El Shaarawy electrified from the wing in the immediate aftermath of his departure before fatigue and injuries wore him down. Mario Balotelli picked up the slack after his arrival in January of 2013, but teams figured him out the next season and he was shipped out of town.
Jeremy Menez scored 16 times this season, but a full half of those goals came from the penalty spot and he played the majority of the season as a false nine rather than a supporting winger.
While a top striker isn't quite as bad a need as quality in the back, it's a close second. This is where most of the attention has gone since Taechaubol's cash infusion, and there may be some options coming in.
While the most recent reports from Sky Sport Italia and others (h/t Football Italia) have torpedoed thoughts of a sensational return by Zlatan, Spanish sports daily Marca has reported (also through Football Italia) that Porto star Jackson Martinez—scorer of seven goals in the Champions League this year—is on his way to Milan.
If that's the case, it's certainly a start. Mihajlovic will be able to set up his offensive system around the Colombian, and the presence of a player of his caliber can lead to some individual goals to augment the ones that get in thanks to the scheme.
Work will be needed to polish the supporting cast, but if Martinez's move does become official, it will be a welcome start.
Team Discipline
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In March and April, Milan's players visibly gave up. There was absolutely no fight in the team whatsoever.
Although this malaise lifted in the last few games of the year, it was still an unacceptable thing to see. What's more, this isn't the first time something like this has happened.
Clarence Seedorf's high-handed manner in the dressing room after replacing Massimiliano Allegri alienated several players, including Andrea Poli and assistant coach Mauro Tassotti. These issues ended up being a key aspect in his dismissal last summer in spite of good performances on the field.
Inzaghi has gotten similar treatment, according to Corriere della Sera (h/t Football Italia) after a disheartening loss against Udinese in April, Inzaghi vented to his players and called their performance "unworthy of this jersey." An unnamed player allegedly responded, "We might be unworthy, but you are unworthy to be coach of Milan."
This kind of attitude towards a coach can become a culture, which is a very dangerous thing indeed. One thing that has exacerbated the problem is Milan's lack of true veteran leadership, but Mihajlovic needs to nip that sort of thing in the bud.
He has shown the ability to do just that. Shortly after Samuel Eto'o arrived at Sampdoria in February, he refused to take part in a training session. Mihajlovic publicly called the striker's action disrespectful, and team president Massimo Ferrero had to step in to defuse the situation in the media. But Mihajlovic's tactics worked—Eto'o never did it again.
He's going to have to be sure he takes command of his dressing room and ensure that no incidents occur that could replicate what's happened in the last few years.
Fan Acceptance
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Yup, that's Milan's new coach wearing Inter blue. In fact, that picture is from the April 6, 2005 edition of the Derby della Madonnina.
Mihajlovic ended his playing career with two years at Inter and began his coaching career immediately after he retired by joining Roberto Mancini's staff as an assistant. He spent two years under Mancini before beginning his career as a head man with Bologna.
Interestingly, Milan completely omitted his association to Inter from their announcement of his hiring, instead taking note of his contributions to Red Star Belgrade and Lazio.
Early in his tenure at Fiorentina, Mihajlovic famously said he would never coach Milan out of respect for Inter fans. He has obviously overcome that qualm, but Milan's avoidance of the subject is most likely an attempt to keep their fans from remembering that fact.
If the Rossoneri fans do have a long memory, he's going to have a rocky introduction—and an adverse fan reaction may affect the aforementioned locker-room discipline and wreck his tenure.
Youth Integration
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Over the last two years Milan has seen two incredibly promising midfielders disappear from their rolls.
Riccardo Saponara and Bryan Cristante were looked at as the future in the middle of the park. Now neither of them are Milan players. Cristante was sold to Benfica last year, while Saponara was sent back to his boyhood club Empoli.
These two are emblematic of a major problem that has dogged this team for years. The team's youth team has had success in recent years—ironically under Inzaghi for part of that time—but the players that have achieved those successes haven't been given any opportunity to prove themselves in the first team.
Milan seems to be splashing cash again, but any team needs a homegrown core. Players like Maldini came up through Milan's academy system and turned into the backbone of some of their best sides. In this day and age it's rare to see a player come from outside the youth setup in his prime and take such leadership roles. They either arrive from elsewhere young and then grow into it or defer to homegrown leaders.
Mihajlovic needs to reverse this trend and give some young players a major role this season. It's the best way to secure the team's future, and one of the best ways to keep one's own job stable is to have the future at hand. If Mihajlovic starts giving youth players minutes, it will go a long way towards setting himself up for success down the line.
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