After eleven years with talented offspring to the title

The Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia is colored in red and black. Many of the 18,000 Milan fans who had traveled with them stormed the pitch after the final whistle of their favorite club’s last game of the season. They had been able to prepare for this for a long time. In the first half Milan already led 3:0.

The preparation time for the celebrations was even more than a decade. The last Scudetto was eleven years ago, won with the coach Massimiliano Allegri, now head of a confused Juventus squad.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was already on the pitch. The tall Swede may have only eight league goals this season, his worst tally since 2006. But the 40-year-old wanderer of world football is the founder of this new AC Milan. In January 2020 he signed for the Rossoneri for the second time. At that time they were on the ground. Shortly before Christmas 2019, Milan went down 0: 5 against Atalanta from Bergamo, at that time the up-and-coming Italian club par excellence. Milan had become a provincial club, with a provincial football coach and an unnamed and insecure squad.

Ibrahimovic’s confidence rubbed off on his teammates

Ibrahimovic instilled confidence in his team-mates. Coach Stefano Pioli, who was already working for Milan at the time, cleverly used the Swede’s big ego to mentally steel the other players. The Milan Cathedral would come to see him, not he, to see the cathedral, he once said. “It’s better to come to Milan and build something there to win again than play at other clubs and win automatically,” was another Ibrahimovic saying.

In his shadow, left-back Theo Hernandez and winger Rafael Leão grew into the most dynamic outside axis in world football. They castle with and without the ball, play, dance, block freely, as if ice hockey and basketball were also one of their sports. Hernandez operates in a robust and straightforward manner, Leão also uses his speed in curves and loops. He set up all three goals of the final night in Reggio Emilia.

From firefighter to master trainer

Coach Pioli forged this outer axle. He is arguably the single most important factor in AC Milan’s rebirth. As a coach, he needed a longer start-up period. He was a pragmatic coach, adapting to the club and the players, trying to make the best of what he found. That’s why he was often brought in as a firefighter. In Milan, too, it was long considered an interim solution.

Last summer, Milan finally seemed to be stable, with their own identity and qualification for the Champions League, should he be replaced by Ralf Rangnick. The internationally renowned club developer instead of the provincial stopgap. There was resistance to this. Above all, the Milan legend Paolo Maldini protected Pioli.

Now both of them could be happy. This Scudetto is above all her work. Pioli created the playful framework, while Maldini, as technical director, made cost-effective improvements where there were gaps. Striker veteran Olivier Giroud – he scored twice in Sunday’s 3-0 lead – came on as a substitute for the physically ailing Ibrahimovic. The goalie Mike Maignan, brought in for the Italian national goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had moved to Paris, turned out to be less spectacular, but much more effective than his predecessor.

Pioli internally compensated for the departure of midfield director Hakan Calhanoglu to Inter and the cruciate ligament rupture of defensive strategist Simon Kjaer. In the central defender position, the only 21-year-old Frenchman Pierre Kalulu grew into an impressive figure. In midfield, the great talent Sandro Tonali took over the role that everyone had trusted him for years. With his technique, his eye and the toughness he has gained in duels, he is a mixture of the old champion Gennaro Gattuso and the brilliant Andrea Pirlo.

On the right flank, Pioli put his trust in Davide Calabria, who came from his own offspring. He thanks you with stable performance. The captain was already kicking in the red-black youth when manager Maldini was still chasing the ball.

The squad gives fans great hopes

The key moment of this season was winning the derby in February. Inter dominated for long stretches, leading 1-0. But then Giroud turned the match with two goals. Inter stayed top of the table, but Milan now knew that the title was a possibility. When the city rivals blundered in the catch-up game against Bologna, the way was mathematically free. The new reign was cemented with a safe 2-0 win over Atalanta in the penultimate match of the season.

In Reggio Emilia, Pioli, who was usually so in control, was finally able to let his emotions run free. Ten minutes before the final whistle of the match, he danced and sang along with the fan chant “Pioli is on fire”, the anthem par excellence for the rebirth of this traditional club, and even heated up the curve. Milan is cult again. And given the youthful age of many of the protagonists, a new cycle could begin. One who started in-house without any major transfers.