Demetrio Albertini criticised Milan for “starting from scratch, scrapping everything they built the year before. “They ought to learn from Juventus.”
The Rossoneri fired Giampaolo after losing four of the opening seven Serie A games, bringing in Pioli following problems in securing Luciano Spalletti.
“It’s always difficult to judge from the outside, but the moment you hire someone like Giampaolo and are target a certain type of football, you know it’s going to take some time,” former Milan midfielder Albertini told Tuttosport.
“Quite frankly, seven games isn’t enough to think you can see that work pay off. Perhaps Milan found themselves in a situation they weren’t expecting and preferred to change early on. Evidently, problems emerged that had not been taken into account. It’s a defeat for everyone when a Coach is dismissed.
“Pioli has experience in dealing with negative moments. I just hope the team can quickly understand what the new Coach can give, because the real problem for Milan now is how far they are off the important areas of the table.”
Albertini’s former teammates Paolo Maldini and Zvonimir Boban are now Milan directors, but he spies a worrying trend at the club.
“Everyone knows how much they care about Milan, but then we’ll have to see what the results say. The real problem at Milan is that every year they start from scratch and completely scrap everything they built the year before.
“A club like Milan cannot think of taking it one day at a time. They must always have an objective and aim for the top. Targeting a Champions League place is the bare minimum of what Milan ought to be doing. Winning it would be a dream, but I cannot think of a target other than a top four finish.
“This is the winning card played by Juventus in recent years: a club that became modern while maintaining an incredible sense of belonging. Milan ought to do the same as Juve.”
The Rossoneri are also planning to tear down the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and build a new structure in conjunction with Inter.
“On the one hand, San Siro is history, but on the other, it cannot be a modern home for Milan and Inter. If I could, I’d want to restructure the Stadio Meazza, because any player can be made great in that venue.”