In some cases, mainly AC Milan’s, the coaching hasn’t always been the greatest, but there’s a common denominator. The two clubs are in their respective situation because of the poor management in the front office.
This has been particularly prevelant at Inter. Former president Massimo Moratti hired the 20th coach in his tenure, Walter Mazzarri, since he took over the role in 1995. One of the main reasons why Moratti was always quick to pull the trigger was because of the team’s poor results during the season.
Andrea Stramaccioni was the last casualty due to underachievement. Gian Piero Gasperini, Claudio Ranieri and Rafa Benitez were just a few of the others who have felt his wrath. However, it hasn’t always been coaching that has led to the downfall.
It goes right back to the likes of Marco Branca, Inter’s sporting director before he resigned a couple of weeks ago. Yes, he’s acquired some gems such as Lucio, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, who were all integral in the treble winning campaign. He’s also made some awful deals, such as selling promising youngsters like Mario Balotelli and Philippe Coutinho.
The latter has always been an issue. The club always say they’re ready to give youth a chance, yet give up on them when they haven’t had a chance to shine. Inter won the prestigious Viareggio tournament in 2011 and Nextgen Series in 2011/12, yet many of those players (Samuele Longo for example) have either been given minimal chance to play for their parent club, or they’ve been moved on since.
Inter have at least five promising products out on loan this season and they boast one of the best academies in the world. The fact that very few have thrived at the Giuseppe Meazza goes down to the front office not hiring coaches who will give them a chance (Mazzarri), giving up on them too soon (Balotelli) or giving up on the “projects” they planned (Stramaccioni).
Now that Erick Thohir is in charge, he has the ability to change that bad reputation. Branca is gone, meaning the club can start fresh. They have the facilities and the resources to at least be a top three club. If Mazzarri is the coach they want, they need to stick with him for at least another season before making any rash decisions.
As for AC Milan, they’re in an even worse predicament. Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani have hit a crossroads. They no longer have the senatori leading the club and making sure the attitude is always a positive, hard working one. The squad is atrocious, plus the coaching appointments have been rushed and not well thought out.
Galliani can’t find bargains anymore, because the players he’s signed on the cheap aren’t even fit to shine the boots of former Milan greats, let alone play for them. Youth has been just as neglected over the last couple of years as well. Bryan Cristante has had limited playing time, M’Baye Niang and Andrea Petagna are all loaned out, while Stephan El Shaarawy continues to recover from yet another injury.
Niang has been especially brilliant in his spell at Montpellier, netting four goals in seven appearances. In fact, since he’s arrived, the 2011/12 champions are undefeated in all competitions. As for Cristante, he was one of the best players on the pitch in all three of his appearances for Milan, yet he still didn’t do enough to start more. Petagna was in the same boat at Sampdoria, playing just three times in the league. Now he’s back at the San Siro and recently won the Viareggio tournament.
This all goes to down to the front office. They failed to send Petagna out to a team who would make him a key starter, the youth movement wasn’t enforced enough, leading both Massimiliano Allegri and Clarence Seedorf to win now because it’ll appease the fans and hierarchy for a short time.
If the Rossoneri want to play the youth, they need to be willing to sacrifice results for a couple of years in order to come back stronger and win for another decade. The fact that Berlusconi, his daughter Barbara, and Galliani care more about who has the ultimate control rather than the club, is an indictment as to how much they’ve fallen.
The old saying that a good team starts from the top rings true here. Both AC Milan and Inter have problems in that department. Thanks to that, they’re a shadow of their former selves. Nothing will improve unless the front office is cleaned up.
