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Calcio Debate: Who Will Be Milan's Next Coach?
Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal runs down the candidates who could potentially lead the Rossoneri in 2010-2011.....
20-May-2010 3:55:00 PM
By Subhankar Mondal
Most observers think that Leonardo did a good job with Milan in the 2009-2010 campaign. For a side that sold its best player in the summer (Kaka to Real Madrid), the season was always going to be replete with trials and tribulations.
However, Milan finished third in Serie A and also reached the last 16 stage of the Champions League, where, of course, they were humiliated by English giants Manchester United. At one point Milan were third in the race for the Scudetto but slipped in the final stretch of the campaign.
Milan and Leonardo parted company at the end of last weekend's 3-0 win against Juventus at the San Siro and now the search for the new coach has begun. A lot of names have have been floated around Milanello but nothing concrete has emerged yet. So who will be the next coach of the ailing Italian club? Who will club supremo Silvio Berlusconi and his aide Adriano Galliani choose to lead the Rossoneri next season?
Here are the candidates for the post in no particular order.
The 47-year-old is an important part of the Milan institution. Besides being a member of Milan's first team coaching staff and director of the club’s youth academy, Galli also served as a technical assistant of the outgoing Rossoneri coach Leonardo. Both Berlusconi and Galliani have dropped huge hints in the last few days about him becoming the new coach. The fact that Galli is a former Milan player and Berlusconi likes to promote from someone 'inside' makes Galli the favourite for the job.
The 50-year-old is another one from 'inside' the club and this factor could play in his favour. Tassotti, like Galli, is a former Milan player and is (in)famous for elbowing Spain's Luis Enrique Martinez's nose in the 1994 World Cup finals. The Rome-born former Lazio defender is an ex-coach of the Milan youth team and has been part of the first team coaching staff at the Rossoneri since 2001. Former Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti has singled out his former assistant, saying “Tassotti has the experience, the competence and the knowledge to coach Milan."
The Dutchman is a Milan legend, having won the Scudetto thrice and the European Cup twice with the Diavolo. Van Basten is hugely respected and admired at the club but he has already ruled himself out of a coaching role because of "a problem with my ankle." Appointing Van Basten as the Milan coach would be a risk however, as the 45-year-old has failed both with the Dutch national team and with Ajax.
The 42-year-old was the coach of Cagliari until mid-April and is one of the better tacticians in Italy at the moment. Allegri crafted a miracle out of nothing in 2008-2009 when he almost led a previously unfancied Cagliari side to European qualification, playing some good amount of attractive football in the process. In 2009-2010 he was relieved of his duties for the Isolani in mid-April. However, Allegri doesn't have the experience to coach a big side and has no 'inside' connections with Milan.
The 47-year-old has a great track record in club management, having won the Champions League with Primera Liga side Barcelona as well as winning back-to-back league titles with the Catalans. Indeed, at Camp Nou, Rijkaard moulded Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o into the world class footballers they now are and it will be tempting to see the Dutchman pair up with Ronnie at Milan. However, the former Rossoneri player is in contract with Turkish side Galatasaray at the moment, even if he could still be prised away from Islanbul.
The former Roma coach will be greatly suited to Milan as his experience in Italian football and philosophy to play attacking, attractive football will be compatible with Milan's ideology. However, the 51-year-old seems happy at Russian side Zenit St Petersburg and Juventus too were linked with a move to sign him. Moreover, he has no discernible connection with Milan and Berlusconi apparently wants someone who knows the club inside out.
There is no good reason why Ranieri will leave the comfort of Roma and join the mess that is Milan. The former Chelsea and Valencia coach has had a great campaign with the Giallorossi and is now hugely respected in Rome. Ranieri is a "likeable loser", a coach who revels in mediocrity and is contended with second place. At Milan he will be under pressure to win honours with a squad that is hollow and ageing. Nevertheless, Ranieri has taken high profile jobs in the past and he may be tempted to take the Milan job, if it is offered to him.
It is very unlikely that Berlusconi and Galliani will settle for the former Italy and Napoli coach. Donadoni was a great player for Milan in the 1980s and 1990s but he has failed as a coach. The 46-year-old took Italy to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 finals but after the competition he was replaced by Marcello Lippi. Donadoni was an utter failure at Napoli and it would be a mistake to take Donadoni on board.
However, Milan finished third in Serie A and also reached the last 16 stage of the Champions League, where, of course, they were humiliated by English giants Manchester United. At one point Milan were third in the race for the Scudetto but slipped in the final stretch of the campaign.
Milan and Leonardo parted company at the end of last weekend's 3-0 win against Juventus at the San Siro and now the search for the new coach has begun. A lot of names have have been floated around Milanello but nothing concrete has emerged yet. So who will be the next coach of the ailing Italian club? Who will club supremo Silvio Berlusconi and his aide Adriano Galliani choose to lead the Rossoneri next season?
Here are the candidates for the post in no particular order.
FILIPPO GALLI
The 47-year-old is an important part of the Milan institution. Besides being a member of Milan's first team coaching staff and director of the club’s youth academy, Galli also served as a technical assistant of the outgoing Rossoneri coach Leonardo. Both Berlusconi and Galliani have dropped huge hints in the last few days about him becoming the new coach. The fact that Galli is a former Milan player and Berlusconi likes to promote from someone 'inside' makes Galli the favourite for the job.
MAURO TASSOTTI
The 50-year-old is another one from 'inside' the club and this factor could play in his favour. Tassotti, like Galli, is a former Milan player and is (in)famous for elbowing Spain's Luis Enrique Martinez's nose in the 1994 World Cup finals. The Rome-born former Lazio defender is an ex-coach of the Milan youth team and has been part of the first team coaching staff at the Rossoneri since 2001. Former Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti has singled out his former assistant, saying “Tassotti has the experience, the competence and the knowledge to coach Milan."
MARCO VAN BASTEN
The Dutchman is a Milan legend, having won the Scudetto thrice and the European Cup twice with the Diavolo. Van Basten is hugely respected and admired at the club but he has already ruled himself out of a coaching role because of "a problem with my ankle." Appointing Van Basten as the Milan coach would be a risk however, as the 45-year-old has failed both with the Dutch national team and with Ajax.
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI
The 42-year-old was the coach of Cagliari until mid-April and is one of the better tacticians in Italy at the moment. Allegri crafted a miracle out of nothing in 2008-2009 when he almost led a previously unfancied Cagliari side to European qualification, playing some good amount of attractive football in the process. In 2009-2010 he was relieved of his duties for the Isolani in mid-April. However, Allegri doesn't have the experience to coach a big side and has no 'inside' connections with Milan.
FRANK RIJKAARD
The 47-year-old has a great track record in club management, having won the Champions League with Primera Liga side Barcelona as well as winning back-to-back league titles with the Catalans. Indeed, at Camp Nou, Rijkaard moulded Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o into the world class footballers they now are and it will be tempting to see the Dutchman pair up with Ronnie at Milan. However, the former Rossoneri player is in contract with Turkish side Galatasaray at the moment, even if he could still be prised away from Islanbul.
LUCIANO SPALLETTI
The former Roma coach will be greatly suited to Milan as his experience in Italian football and philosophy to play attacking, attractive football will be compatible with Milan's ideology. However, the 51-year-old seems happy at Russian side Zenit St Petersburg and Juventus too were linked with a move to sign him. Moreover, he has no discernible connection with Milan and Berlusconi apparently wants someone who knows the club inside out.
CLAUDIO RANIERI
There is no good reason why Ranieri will leave the comfort of Roma and join the mess that is Milan. The former Chelsea and Valencia coach has had a great campaign with the Giallorossi and is now hugely respected in Rome. Ranieri is a "likeable loser", a coach who revels in mediocrity and is contended with second place. At Milan he will be under pressure to win honours with a squad that is hollow and ageing. Nevertheless, Ranieri has taken high profile jobs in the past and he may be tempted to take the Milan job, if it is offered to him.
ROBERTO DONADONI
It is very unlikely that Berlusconi and Galliani will settle for the former Italy and Napoli coach. Donadoni was a great player for Milan in the 1980s and 1990s but he has failed as a coach. The 46-year-old took Italy to the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 finals but after the competition he was replaced by Marcello Lippi. Donadoni was an utter failure at Napoli and it would be a mistake to take Donadoni on board.
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