What ends was not an ordinary decade for the Milan, were probably the most sensitive ten years for the modern era of Devil: those of the revolution. Three titles and two changes of ownership, with a reconstruction towards the glories of the past that seemed to have become a mission impossible. And that is now back in the thoughts of the Rossoneri fans.
THE LAST GREAT AC MILAN – Fans who still have 2011 in their eyes, the last year of the great Milan of Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani. The arrival of big hits like Ibrahimovic, Boateng e Robinho under the orders of Allegri, the last Rossoneri Scudetto followed in the summer by the Italian Super Cup won against Inter. The swan song, before giving way to Juventus di Conte and the former Pirlo between missteps and controversies (who does not remember the goal of Muntari at San Siro?) and greet a generation that has made history at Milan: Inzaghi, Gattuso, In this, Seedorf and with them Zambrotta, later also sold Ibrahimovic e Thiago Silva. All the backbone of the team is gone. It looked like the beginning of a revolution, with a long list of coaches alternating on the bench: Seedorf e Inzaghi, Mihajlovic e Brocchi until Montella. But the actual revolution was never fully worked out, leading to a third place as the highest result in the league and the Italian Super Cup in December 2016, the last trophy of the Berlusconi era.
THE CHINESE ILLUSION – A few months later in fact, on April 13, 2017, the epochal turning point: the farewell of Berlusconi and Galliani. After the unfinished negotiation with Bee Taechaubol, the change of ownership becomes a reality: Milan speaks Chinese, it’s from Li Yonghong and David Han Li. A new start, with Fassone e Mirabelli to lead a market for spin shots e Gattuso, who took over from Montella, to lead the team. An illusion that lasted just over a year, because in July 2018 comes the new turnaround that upsets the Rossoneri world: the American fund Elliott Li Yonghong takes over and becomes the owner of the club. Scaroni new president, then Leonardo e Gazidis and the following summer Boban and the great return of Paolo Maldini: a new revolution.
THE TURNING POINT – With one difference, a defined project: cutting costs, changing the club’s market policy by focusing on a green line. Starting from difficulties, such as the exclusion from the Europa League at the end of 2018/19 for issues related to Financial Fair Play, and from other turning points such as the separation from Leonardo first and Boban then. And still on the bench, with that Marco Giampaolo chosen in place of Gattuso to give the game and exonerated after the victory over Genoa, with four defeats in the first seven days. And there, the beginning of the real turning point: the arrival of Stefano Pioli on the bench, the resounding 5-0 in Bergamo at Atalanta, the arrival of Simon Kjaer and the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his second life in the Rossoneri. From there a constant growth before the lockdown, at the end of which Milan becomes a real battleship: the 4-1 in Lecce on 22 June inaugurates the still open streak of 26 consecutive useful results in Serie A, on 4 July the expected victory against a team occupying a better position in the ranking arrives against Lazio, followed by a 4-2 comeback against Juve. Only a few numbers and episodes that tell of a new Milan, which no longer wants to stop.
THE FUTURE – A Milan that above all wants to give continuity to the key word for a turning point that has been expected for ten years now: project. He did it from a technical point of view, confirming in the final of 2019/20 Pioli when everything seemed done for the arrival of Ralf Rangnick, he did so in the summer when he convinced the 39-year-old Ibrahimovic to stay with Kjaer to be expert guides for a young group, enriched by the addition of Tonali and Hauge to continue on the green investment policy. Choices that made it possible to overcome the Europa League preliminaries and then access the round of 32 as the first of the group, to win a derby with Inter four years after the last time, to remain undefeated for another 14 days and to conclude 2020 at the first place thanks to the last breath success with Lazio. The enthusiasm in Milan is skyrocketing, the word scudetto is once again rumored in the Rossoneri circles but Maldini and Pioli preach calm and concretely look to bring back the Devil in Champions (last time in 2013/14). And they are ready for the next steps to do so: from the field, with Pioli called to continue managing the accident emergency and to keep the entire group in top form; to the market, with the management at work to give the necessary adjustments to keep running (a defender and a midfielder above all) and to get to the renewal of big pieces as Ibra e Calhanoglu. And above all Gianluigi Donnarumma, undoubtedly the greatest discovery of the Milanese decade and only 21 years old consecrated himself as one of the best goalkeepers around. Missions ready, because ten years after the last Scudetto and after having experienced an epochal revolution, the new Rossoneri course has an awareness: there is a project, a way to follow to bring Milan back to the top of football.
@ AlbriFede90
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