AC Milan Throw Away Their Season in Finale Loss to Roma

AC Milan went into Saturday’s game against AS Roma knowing that nothing less than a victory would put them in position to gain sixth in the table and ensure themselves of entry in the UEFA Europa League regardless of whether they beat Juventus in the Coppa Italia final on May 21.  

With Sassuolo ahead of them they would need help, but whatever the situation, victory would be vital.

Or at least the fans and pundits knew that.  Someone had obviously forgotten to convey that message to the players.

Milan put up absolutely no fight against the Giallorossi and sunk to a 3-1 loss in front of their home fans.  There was no spark, no fight.  Even before Sassuolo put Inter to bed by the end of the first half of their game, the Rossoneri showed no urgency to seek out the victory they needed.  It was a disgraceful performance—and the responsibility for it starts at the very top.

Silvio Berlusconi’s decision to fire manager Sinisa Mihajlovic on April 12 and replace him with youth-team coach Cristian Brocchi was the catalyst for Milan’s rapid fall.  

It was in part a knee-jerk reaction to a bad month of form, but there was a deeper story to it.  Berlusconi expected a return to the UEFA Champions League this year—an expectation that was unrealistic when Milan compared to the likes of Juve, Napoli and Roma.

He also disliked Mihajlovic’s on-field style.  A notorious meddler who is obsessed with how good his team looks on the pitch, the owner constantly criticized his coach and his more proactive style throughout the year.  

After he was dismissed, Berlusconi took to Facebook to defend himself from fan criticism, saying, among other things (h/t Football Italia), “Let us be clear, aside from the results, we have never seen Milan play so badly.”

The move has turned into a world-class miscalculation.  Milan certainly haven’t played attractive football.  They’ve only scored more …

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