No Lopetegui, we want Conte: Milan’s revolt against Cardinale

In less than a week it all came down. Out of the Europa League, beaten in the scudetto derby of the second Inter star, forced to see their cousins ​​invade Milan for the celebrations and split in two as hasn’t happened for years. Indeed, united in a single direction contrary, however, to that of the owners and the club. An original for Gerry Cardinale and also for Elliott. Not since the time of the last Berlusconi have the AC Milan people revolted against the owners of AC Milan and it is happening in the name of Stefano Pioli’s successor on the bench.

It is now clear to everyone that the manager of the 2022 championship has reached the end of the line. It was impossible to survive the six derbies lost in a row, a season characterized by more ‘outs’ (Champions League, Italian Cup, Europa League and the Scudetto fight too quickly) than ‘ins’, the injuries that underpinned the Rossoneri’s autumn, an overall negative 2023 and, more generally, the wear and tear of a cycle now over four years long.

Who in his place? Here the vertical rift between Cardinale, his managers and the AC Milan fans is taking shape. Who wants only one name, Antonio Conte, and he rejects those in circulation. Julien Lopetegui, former Sevilla, Real Madrid and Spanish international among other things, was transformed in an instant into NoPetegui. Fonseca or different alternatives, even worse. Maybe not even knowing their history and characteristics, but for what they represent. The people want the strong man, a guarantee of winning again quickly also to put an end to the cycle of Inter that burns like salt on living flesh.

This is what Conte represents. The grumpy coach, rough with his presidents, pretentious on the market, used to asking and not willing to compromise. The one who dumped Juventus on the spot in 2014, regretting it later, because he considered them a 10 euro customer who wanted to dine in a 100 euro restaurant. And who with the championship still hot has, not even too kindly, asked Zhang and Marotta to did not get on the bandwagon and was paid a large severance package because he was offered painful transfers.

A wonderful individualist, in short. It matters little that Antonio da Lecce has made it known that he has changed his ways a little and that he is also ready to take on projects to grow over time. The people of Milan want him as a guarantee of RedBird and Cardinale’s willingness to invest to win and not to be in Milan to “do business”. The stadium is going well, congratulations on the good balance sheets, happy not to have debts, but… But it’s time to get serious. The honeymoon is over.

A wall against wall that is consuming the present and also the future of Milan. It is right for a club not to be influenced by popular sentiment, but it is equally clear that bringing Lopetegui and a figure like him to Milanello will mean exposing them to stormy winds should there be problems in the approach phase. In short, it means projecting the turbulence of this spring onto autumn. And also to erase the idea that the other strongman brought on board by popular acclaim, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, can in his own way be the guarantor of a rapid Milanism like Paolo Maldini was. The air of protest is also touching Zlatan: everyone expects vetoes and strong decisions, he is silent for now.

It’s difficult to predict how it will end. What is certain is that the ownership’s no to Antonio Conte arises precisely from the reasons why the fans would want him at any cost, regardless of any other option. His way of acting resembles that of Maldini, who was kicked out a year ago because in 2022 – with the Scudetto fresh – it had been impossible to do so. Will Cardinale go back on his beliefs? Not predictable. It will be a hot summer on the Rossoneri side of the Naviglio, while the Inter one celebrates and plans a cycle which, in Marotta’s words, still has a lot to express.

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