Correspondent of the magazine "Football" and a permanent author of Football. ua Sergey Shevchenko assesses the changes on the coaching bridge of the club.
Fans of Milan rejoice: they became hated Vincenzo Montella dismissed. Interim head coach - Gennaro Gattuso, the legendary football player, whose previous job was "youth" Rossoneri. He has to pull Milan from the depths of the table: the team shares 7-9 places with Bologna and Chievo, the gap to the zone of the Champions League - 11 points.
Montella The dismissal was expected. The first ultimatum Montella received back in late September, when Milan lost to Sampdoria. From the coach was waiting for successful results against Roma and Inter. Both of these matches ended in defeats, but Rossoneri showed a good football and the content of the game could count on more, so Vincenzo resisted. The next crisis moment - zero-variant 0: 2 from Juventus. This time, Montell was rescued by the calendar: in the next round, the Milanese confidently defeated the table waving below Sassuolo. Sins accumulated. Home draw with Torino "Airplane" is not forgiven, the statistics of strikes and possession of the ball did not become an indulgence. Whether a joke - not a single goal in four games on his field!.
Claims to Montella - a lot. His team was helpless against the top clubs, never having played with them at least in a draw. The game of this Milan was distinguished by the lack of ideas in the midfield: if possession of the ball was confidently achieved at the expense of the class of football players, the development of attacks was stymied. Montella never picked up the optimal scheme. The summer selection was based on 4-3-3, but the sudden arrival of Bonucci forced to reorganize to 3-5-2, where there was no place for Suso, the best attacking player of the team. In addition, Bonucci, with his playmaker talent, took away the presence on the field of Billy, who was eventually put into the reserve. There were questions about the coach's personnel decisions: for example, excessive confidence in Kalinich, coupled with ignoring Koutron, or inappropriate changes.
Finally, Montella could not stand the pressure. Training Milan in recent years - the task of the highest level of complexity: this is not the club where you can go on a rolled-in, but the results here are demanded, as in the grandee. In this season, the task was further complicated. The coach received tremendous opportunities to strengthen in the transfer market, but the acquisition of a virtually new team excluded at least minimal teamwork, and the origin of this money increased the level of drama - it was required at least to enter the zone of the Champions League so that Chinese owners could pay off the loan. The game for cool and risky guys. Vincenzo, alas, did not. He lost another important match, always smiling and getting off with general phrases about progress or "half full glass". Control of the process was lost. Montella was much more harmonious in the last season, building up not the most formidable but interesting and spectacular team.
Fans of Milan should not forget that it was at the "Airplane" club a year ago won the Super Bowl - the first trophy for five years, so valuable in difficult times. Moreover, the team returned to the European Cups and has already reached the playoffs of the LE (an achievement that was ridiculous in the scale of the club, but for several years there was not this either). Last season, played Suso, a fantastic year spent Donnarumma, got his chance Locatelli, and now, with all reservations, and Coutron. Montella has achieved greater success than several of his predecessors.
Montella is unlikely to remain without work for a long time, his "Barcelona" style is quite attractive. Another question is that the level of Vincenzo is not the top clubs, but the pretenders to the LE like Torino (since the "Airplane" is flying at the rate of Mikhailovich). As an option - abroad, the benefit in the Premier regularly appears vacancies. Team Italy? Montella was released exceptionally on time, but Skuadra Azzurra after a historic failure needs someone more authoritative. However, Federkalchso has not even decided on the president.
Gattuso This was feared and it all happened. Violent Reno became the head coach of Milan. Such a decision is not a rally that has not gone too far, however, it does not particularly draw on the strategic choice. Relevant and at the same time, there are few real candidates for the position of head coach (this explains some delay in the time with Montella, the management until the last hoped that the already available expert will show the result), and Gattuso - "temporary", which will be finalized approximately until the end of the season.
Gattuso in his 39 years is far from a beginner in coaching craft. Milan - the fifth (!) Headed by him, without taking into account the "primavery". It all began in March 2013, when Gennaro was in the role of playing coach of the Swiss Sion (+ 0 = 1-2). Then there was a short segment at the head of the fallen in Serie B in Palermo (+ 3 = 1-4), half the season in Greek OFI (+ 5 = 3-9) and finally two years at the head of Pisa - Gattuso's only "long-playing".
The first "Pisan" season turned out to be successful: the team took second place in its group of Serie C, and then earned a raise thanks to the playoffs, beating in the crucial matches of Foggia. Gattuso himself, however, more memorable scandals. He slapped a slap to his assistant, sat out a disqualification for improper conduct, and in the finals he got a bottle on the head of a bottle thrown from the stands and earned a double removal for a squabble with his colleague Roberto De Dzerbi - by the way, this coach is now headed by Benevento, the match with which Gattuso makes his debut at the head of Milan.
Season with Pisa in Serie B - the hymn to the "bus". Team Gattuso missed just 36 goals in 42 rounds, this is the second figure in the league. Just 11 matches Pisa ended in a goalless draw! It did not help: the 21st, the penultimate place and the departure without any chances. Amazing, but not very encouraging statistics. If you really look for a positive, it is more likely in the performances of the Milan "primavery", which under the leadership of Gattuso ranks third after 10 rounds.
Prospects Is it the level of the head coach of Milan, even temporary? The answer to such a question can be offensive to a respected and titled player. So far, Gattuso-coach is, rather, a folkloric character like the hero of Mikhail Galustyan from humorous stories about "GasMyas" - it's hard not to note their external similarity. Grennaro has almost no coaching merit, but there is an excessively long list of former jobs and a well-established image of an unrestrained person. In the locker room of Milan will be hot, instead of "good policeman" Montella to the players will be very angry.
If to argue seriously, then Gattuso's mission is to shake the sour team, add her life. At Montella, Rossoneri was too apathetic. Tactics? Gennaro used various modules in the course of his career, including three defenders, but most often leaned toward 4-3-3, which would be the logical choice for the current line-up.. Milan will probably play in a more defensive manner, this is consistent with the game philosophy of the new coach ("If the field was 22 Gattuso, all matches would end 0-0)".
Expectations from the work of Gattuso - anything but quiet optimism. Do not be surprised at anything: even the devastating victories, even the first point Benevento, dialed precisely with Milan. The championship has already, by and large, lost, too fast rushed forward numerous competitors in the struggle for the Champions League. Going into the European Cup is a dubious task, Inter's example demonstrates that without them it's easier. That current participation in the European League can be a priority, the benefit of Gattuso has the experience of successful playoffs, albeit at a much lower level. The fight for the European Cup will distract the attention of the public from the low place in Serie A.
A symptom of troubled times: the next ex-player of the great Milan leads the team, not really having experience. Seedorf, Inzaghi, Brokki, Gattuso - as if nothing has changed since the late Silvio Berlusconi.
Hopes for a quick return to the ranks of the grandees turned out to be not less than a quick disappointment, which is aggravated by a precarious financial situation - Milan will have to compensate for the loss of a number of leading players in the Champions League. In any case, the fans of Rossoneri will have to have patience: even the best scenario possible implies an arrangement with a top specialist like Ancelotti or Comte to lead Milan in the summer. If nothing is expected, then it would not be necessary to regret the dismissal of Montella.
Author: Sergey Shevchenko.