Milan, Sacchi dumps Pioli: “Years of work erased.”

Former AC Milan coach harshly criticizes Emilia coach after derby loss

Arrigo Sacchi harshly attacked Stefano Pioli after the derby lost to Inter on Sunday night. In the former Rossoneri coach’s crosshairs is the defensive attitude imposed by the Emilian coach to overcome the crisis: “Milan is no longer a team, especially the one in the first half. Inter did not play against an opponent, but against a sparring partner. Milan only ran after the opponents and always arrived late. Never a hint of pressing, never an advance, always bland marking. Switching to a five-man defense created confusion and erased the last few years of work.”

“Inter played on velvet because Milan allowed them everything,” Sacchi continued to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Pioli has done a great job in the past years, this should never be forgotten. But in the derby, we have to be honest, with his choices he erased all that work. In my opinion it is a mistake to change ideas and system of play. It’s true that Hernandez and Giroud are squeezed like lemons after their World Cup adventure, but that doesn’t mean you have to change the form. One can cover, but also in other ways. Instead of playing with two midfielders, put three. But deploying a five-man rearguard means losing certainties. Milan seemed frightened, even terrified. The real problem is that the coach must be the first to be convinced of his own ideas and has the duty to transmit them to the players.”