Will Pioli end up on the AC Milan bench? The club’s management has put an imaginary knife to his throat, the game against Sassuolo will be crucial

AC Milan will host Sassuolo on Saturday afternoon, and this game could be the last for the current Rossoneri coach. Stefano Pioli has an imaginary knife to his throat, with fans clamouring for his departure. Will the 18th round of Serie A decide his stay in Milan?

The match of the 18th round of Serie A will be crucial for AC Milan. And not only because of the teams’ position in the table – the Rossoneri need to break away from the lower-placed teams, while they themselves need to chase Juventus and Inter ahead of them in points.

This game will also be very important for one man, the AC Milan coach himself. For Stefano Pioli in particular has come under fire for criticism after the end of last season, understandably especially from the fans.

It is they who have been unclear about his future for some time, but until recently Pioli had the confidence of the club’s management. However, this has changed after significantly inconsistent performances in both the league and European Cup.

However, this is not the only reason why Pioli currently has a knife to his throat. One of the others is that the Europa League is simply not enough for a club as renowned as AC Milan undoubtedly is.

Add to that the inability to harness the potential of the players at coach Pioli’s disposal or the huge number of injured players during the current competitive season. This, of course, impacts both the coach himself and his implementation team.

Pioli on his way out?

At the moment, the situation is reportedly more than clear. The Italian media are talking about Pioli quitting if the Rossoneri lose against Sassuolo. In other words, the Milan coaching bench would be vacant and most likely occupied by Roberto De Zerbi.

According to Italian media, AC management is also keen on him. In addition, we can mention the fact that in the past information has surfaced that some players simply do not want to play under Pioli anymore.

And although this is more speculation, it would be consistent with the lacklustre and unsavoury performances of some players. AC Milan star Rafael Leão, for example, last scored in domestic competition on September 23 against Verona.

Olivier Giroud last scored at the San Siro, his home ground, in August. At the moment, you could say there is something rotten in Milan. If it’s coach Pioli, that would be a very bold statement. However, as we write above, many fans are quite clear on the matter.

Source: Football Italia, X