Antonello Gioia from MilanNews: The atmosphere within the team was peculiar. Just like Stefano Pioli at the end of his tenure, as admitted by the manager himself, Ibrahimovic failed to get through to the team.
“I repeat, we are at Milanello. In these rooms, and I want to clarify, I’m not saying this in defense of Ibrahimovic. I don’t care to defend him. I believe that Ibra has made many mistakes, and Milan is paying the price. There’s no doubt about that.
“So, I’m not defending him. I’m just recounting facts that I know well. Many have told me about them, not just one person. I have evidence that has been verified, and some of it I’ve personally witnessed.
“What I can tell you is that Ibrahimovic turned these rooms upside down several times during the Conceicao era. Many times, he did so with gentleness, harshness, and even middle-ground methods.
“To be more precise, in some matches, especially during the dark period between February and March, the team was in the dressing room. Ibrahimovic entered and addressed the players with extreme severity.
“He was very strict on more than one occasion, and once, if you’ll allow me to use the expression, he was very exaggerated in his style and movements because he saw fit to do so. Not only that, but he also tried to use a gentle approach, giving motivational speeches to seek a reaction from the players, and sometimes using a middle ground.
“Another thing that happened was in the Coppa Italia final, or rather before it, in Rome about a month ago. Ibra gave a speech to the team, and then the team entered the pitch, as we know, and put in a very lackluster performance.
“What reminded me of that match in Rome, and what reminded me of that incident with Ibrahimovic, is something Stefano Pioli said. Before Roma-Milan in the Europa League, with the team having lost 1-0 in the first leg at the San Siro, Pioli gave what he described as the best speech of his career.
“He said that the speech touched every nerve: spirit, motivation, charisma, leadership, tactics, and technique. But as we know, the team put in a lackluster performance, just like in the Coppa Italia final.
“What does this mean? I don’t want to defend Pioli or Ibrahimovic. I repeat and emphasize that I don’t care about defending Ibra. In fact, I believe he’s among the main culprits for the situation at Milan, and he’s certainly the primary culprit for the failure of the Milan Futuro project.
“However, we must be fair to him and say that his presence, especially since January, has been very strong here at Milanello, but it hasn’t had the expected impact.
“I believe this group is no longer responsive. It no longer has motivation. It no longer has incentives. It lacks a strong core of players who are role models, who guide the team, and who consistently and consistently transmit these values to the dressing room,” he stated.
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What the pioli statement is talking about:
**When did you realise it was over at AC Milan?**
“There was a precise moment: the return leg of the Europa League quarter-final, Roma v Milan, at the Olimpico. In the first leg, we had lost 1-0. In the dressing room before the match, I gave a goosebump speech, one of my most heartfelt ever. I was sure we would go through.
“Instead, the team got nothing and did little on the pitch. There I realized that what I was giving was no longer enough. The empathy had broken down."
