For a man famously described as having been ‘born offside’, Filippo Inzaghi enjoyed a stellar playing career, scoring 288 goals in 21 years, culminating in a glorious 11 season spell with AC Milan and after his retirement from playing in 2012, it was with the Rossoneri his coaching career began.
His on-field style was one that reaped maximum rewards from the opportunities available to him. Regularly found hanging on the shoulder of the last defender ready to hurtle into the space ahead, he had the happy knack of being in the right place at the right time, and possessed the presence of mind to do the right thing when he was there.
It was unclear how that single-mindedness would transfer from pitch to dugout, but initial signs are positive. Having impressed the Diavolo hierarchy at the beginning of his career in the younger sectors he was rapidly promoted to Primavera coach.
Even before this tumultuous season began at the San Siro, Inzaghi had been mooted as a possible head coach for the Rossoneri in the future, and with consecutive coaches struggling to make the best of the squad, the former Italy striker’s name is beginning to crop up again.
He has, in the interim, also shown himself to be adept on the sidelines at youth level, most notably winning the Viareggio Cup in early 2014. Additionally, his Rossoneri team stand third in their section likely to reach the final eight in Rimini; should he win that, he would become the first Milan coach to do so since Francesco Zagatti in the 1960s.
It is difficult to extrapolate too much from his performance with Milan’s youth system; his squad is very much at the mercy of his employers, though to lead them to a first Viareggio success since 2001 is an impressive feather in his cap.
There is a familiar element of continuation in suggesting his appointment to the role – Milan have often brought in coaches with an association with the club; since his arrival as president in 1986, Silvio Berlusconi has hired tacticians with a combined 1425 appearances for the club – Inzaghi would boost that number considerably, though it cannot be ignored that Parma’s Roberto Donadoni fits a similar profile, though with more Serie A coaching experience.
It is a peculiar job that awaits the next Milan coach. For a club that has enjoyed the stability provided by the longevity of the likes of Paolo Maldini, Inzaghi and current coach Clarence Seedorf, today’s squad has only two members who have been with the club since before 2010, while those appearances racked up by former Rossoneri youth products total only 18.
It is a squad in a state of flux, and one that appears not to be filled with enough talent to match the demands put upon it. Put another way, for a team so storied as AC Milan, the likes of Kevin Constant, Valter Birsa and Cristian Zapata will not echo throughout history.
Furthermore, with a new stadium in the pipeline, and the Champions League pot looking a long way away in future, money will likely be hard to come by in the immediate future. As such, it seems that the next man in the Rossoneri dugout will find one of his more important roles is blooding the next generation of Milan players.
A man with in-depth knowledge of those Primavera players likely to be promoted would be in an advantageous position in that respect. The team that Seedorf recently fielded against Chievo had an average age of 29, so it is a job that will need doing sooner than later – Bryan Cristante, ‘Golden Boy’ of Viareggio 2014, stands as flag-bearer for that group.
What that means on the field, though, is that Milan are likely to continue to struggle. Already well behind Juventus on that front, the next few years will be a struggle for the Rossoneri faithful and the man in the dugout will come under increasing pressure to deliver a trophy.
That would represent a baptism of fire for any new manager. As a player, Inzaghi based him game around maximising his potential for success in as many ways as he could. It made him one of the best in the world at what he did for a substantial part of his career.
As a coach, while taking over the current AC Milan side would offer no such guarantees of success, it might be an opportunity, and a challenge, too good to pass up. There will almost certainly be a few fallow years before any success, but Milan offer almost limitless potential in the long term and one coach will be lucky enough to be there when they start to achieve it.
Time is on both Inzaghi’s, and Milan’s side. They may both do well to wait.