In Milan, fewer and fewer people doubt that the Rossoneri’s downfall began with the dismissal of Paolo Maldini. The club legend was criticized for missing the mark in the summer transfer window, for the failed investment in Charles De Ketelaere, and for the fact that his final Milan squad did not compete for the Scudetto. Those who came after Maldini have spent significantly more money, yet the Rossoneri are not only out of the title race but their chances of qualifying for the Champions League are now purely theoretical. In fact, Milan is more likely to miss out on European competitions entirely next season than to secure a spot in the Champions League.Ibra shines again: ‘Today I’m the bodyguard: if they have to shoot someone, let them shoot me’Sergio Conceicao will not remain as Milan’s head coach even if he secures Champions League qualification or wins the Coppa Italia. However, he won’t be the only one to take the fall, especially if the season turns from bad to disastrous. The heroes of Milan’s last Scudetto-winning campaign—Leao, Maignan, and Theo Hernández—could pay the price for the club’s absence from European competitions by leaving Milanello. In fact, Theo Hernandez is already on his way out, but the problem is that there are no interested clubs on the horizon willing to buy the Frenchman. As for Mike Maignan, negotiations for a contract extension had been completed, only for the club’s owners to suddenly halt the process—without explanation or a new deadline. The latest name in question is Rafael Leao. If Milan fails to qualify for any European competition, his seven million salary will become an unbearable financial burden.Nesta on Milan’s Liverpool 2005 nightmare: ‘In the locker room, no one spoke, no one dared. We were all dead’Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimović has returned to Milan. Officially, he was absent for three weeks due to illness. More than six months ago, Ibrahimović confidently declared that he was the boss and the one in charge. Time has proven otherwise. Ibra did not want Conceicao as coach instead of Fonseca—incidentally, he didn’t want Fonseca at the helm last July either—and he isn’t fond of Fabio Paratici as sporting director, as he preferred Igli Tare for the role. In politics and business, there is no such thing as an empty space—whenever one appears, someone immediately steps in to fill it. The vacuum left by Ibra in the past few weeks has been filled by general director Giorgio Furlani, who is increasingly becoming the most trusted man of Milan’s American owners. Furlani has even taken over a role that was previously exclusive to Ibrahimović: acting as the bridge between the coach and the club’s ownership.##NAJAVA_MECA_8807979##
