Sacchi defends Pioli and shifts blame onto Milan’s summer transfer strategy

Arrigo Sacchi believes that the summer business from AC Milan is more of a factor in their underwhelming season than Stefano Pioli’s leadership. 

Speaking during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Pianeta Milan), Sacchi explained how he has known Pioli for a very long time and respects him as a tactician.

For that reason, he finds it hard to solely blame Pioli for Milan’s lack of a title charge and disappointing showing in the Champions League. He feels that some of the business that the club conducted in the summer has not helped Pioli achieve the goals set for him.

“I have known Pioli for a long time and he was one of those tactical coaches. I also think that over the years he has tried to become a strategist and come up with something of his own. Evaluations on him? It depends on the market, let me explain. I don’t know if all the foreigners who arrived at Milan last summer were chosen by the coach or at least with his approval. So it would be unfair to judge him for the upcoming results if he didn’t consent and didn’t endorse the signings. Otherwise, it is clear, he would have his responsibilities. In the first case he would not be at fault and if I were the president I would look at who chose those players. If, on the other hand, Pioli was involved in the decisions and then something didn’t work, he is also at fault. And I say this with regret because he is on the right path,” Sacchi said.

It is not clear what level of control Pioli had over the summer transfer business, but it is clear that multiple players like Christian Pulisic, Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have been very successful signings that have improved the team.

Sacchi then went on to explain that impulsive buying in the transfer market is not the way to create a winning formula in football these days, and Pioli only has a small amount of improving to do in that regard.

“I don’t know what the internal relations at the club are today, I was taking risks but I had the president’s back. In Italy we are in a crisis of planning, we look for the individual or the foreigner for lack of ideas. But spending is not necessarily the solution and winning is not automatic. To do that you need an international mentality and coaches must cultivate it. Tacticians put clubs in a difficult position by asking for signings that can make a difference and perhaps end up putting the accounts in the red. Strategists are needed: Stefano still has to make a small, small leap. Not a ‘big jump’,” Sacchi said.