At Milan, the aftermath of the defeat at Sassuolo has become another test of how a club rebuilds authority after missing out on the Champions League. Gerry Cardinale’s increasingly direct involvement has underlined his determination to restore the Rossoneri, but reported private assessments of individual players risk adding noise to a season that needs clearer technical direction.
Key takeaways
- Milan removed its senior management rapidly after failing to qualify for the Champions League, while permanent leaders for the technical area have yet to begin work.
- Cardinale has made his presence felt through investment, regular visits to Milanello and San Siro, and a public message about returning the club to its former standing.
- Rabiot scored Milan’s only goal against Sassuolo and later pointed to the need for more players to attack the penalty area.
- Questions were raised over the treatment of Rabiot and Christian Pulisic in assessments attributed to the Milan owner.
- James Fontanella-Khan is due to formally start on 2 November in a role designed to address one of the areas causing the ownership its greatest supporter pressure.
- Several players currently away on loan — Fofana, Nkunku and Athekame — have made encouraging starts elsewhere.
A rebuilding process needs a steadier hand
Milan’s response to the missed Champions League place was swift. The club dismissed its management within hours, although there had also been debate over the reinforcements sought during the previous January transfer window and not delivered. In the meantime, Milan have relied on second-line figures while waiting for the eventual first-choice appointments in the sporting structure.
Cardinale has nevertheless made clear that he intends to take a more active role. A substantial transfer campaign, frequent appearances at Milanello and San Siro, and the cap he wore during his visit to the training ground last Saturday have all been seen as signs of an owner determined to lead the restoration himself.
There was understandable frustration after the trip to Reggio Emilia. Two refereeing episodes caused particular discussion: Laurienté’s challenge on Gila and a shirt pull on Ramos inside the penalty area. Both incidents were viewed as questionable, with referee Daniele Orsato also reportedly recognising the doubts around the decisions.
But dissatisfaction with a result and a performance is different from publicly reducing the dressing room to a set of individual verdicts. Assessments attributed to Cardinale have created an awkward position for Milan’s communications department, which would find it difficult to distance the club from remarks carrying the weight of the owner.
The timing also matters. Fontanella-Khan, an Italian-American journalist and lifelong Milan supporter, has been chosen to oversee a front in which the ownership has faced repeated criticism and strain among supporters. His official start date is 2 November. Before then, every self-inflicted controversy makes the task of restoring trust at Milanello more difficult.
The Sassuolo performance and the need for perspective
The sharpest objection concerns Rabiot. The Frenchman found the net against Sassuolo and was among the few Milan players regularly arriving in the opposition box during the second half. His display drew favourable marks from technical observers, making a negative appraisal difficult to reconcile with what happened on the pitch.
It is also an unhelpful moment for such judgement, with discussions over Rabiot’s contract renewal under way. An unnecessarily critical public atmosphere can only complicate relations between the player’s representatives and the club.
Pulisic’s more positive treatment was no less debatable. The American produced one notable piece of quality, slipping Chukwueze through on goal before the goalkeeper saved the finish. Yet that moment alone did not amount to a convincing overall display. His performance against Lecce before the international break was closer to his best level than his afternoon at Sassuolo.
The more useful football conclusion came from Rabiot himself. “We do not get enough people into the penalty area,” he said after the match. His point echoed Milan’s first-half approach, when Moreira, Pavlovic and Ramos all contributed more often in advanced areas.
Ramos was the player whose role offered the clearest tactical explanation. Milan need midfielders and wide players to accompany their forward line rather than leaving the central striker isolated. That was the pattern Rabiot identified, and it is a problem for the coaching staff to address rather than a reason for ownership to issue player-by-player judgements.
Confidence in Amorim can remain intact despite the setback in Reggio Emilia. Milan can demand more from the side without turning a difficult Sunday into a wider assault on the squad. In Italian football, the final accounting is usually made at the end of the season, with the technical department carrying the responsibility for those conclusions.
There is a further question for the club to consider. Fofana, Nkunku and Athekame have all begun positively while out on loan. Their form suggests that parts of the summer market may have been shaped less by detailed technical evaluation than by a desire to move beyond choices associated with the previous structure. For Milan, the next chapter should be about judging players and decisions calmly — not merely rejecting what came before.
