I admire the optimism here, but at the same time I hope you guys comprehend the extent of risk in this as well. Season 1 with a number of kids (most of them new to the league potentially), and a highly self-confident manager/sporting director who’s new to the league, could potentially result in a relegation battle if it goes wrong.
So be prepared for everything next season.
That may be true, but what’s the other solution? Revolving door of average managers? Guys like Pioli, Mihajlovic, Montella, Giampaolo, they’re all more or less in the same boat. A couple decent seasons between them, a few bad ones, fans debate whether their time at Milan will more like the good season or the bad ones on their resumes. They are ok managers who are quick to change the team and players at the first sign of failure, most don’t have distinct reliable systems in place the players can rely on.
That hasn’t worked, and like you and others have pointed out, they aren’t going to spend in the way a true top team should. Not until the club is bringing in more money. That decision is probably wise honestly, the club loses lots of money and was still going nowhere, even getting on the shit side of uefa. Innovation and a new approach is needed, undoubtedly. It’s different and yes risky, but it holds far more potential of actually changing the club then anything we’ve done for a decade, you have to see that.
I’ll even add, I’d like the team to take a different approach, but I’m on board with anything that’s a good idea as long as they commit to it. I believe the team should bring in more older, veteran players, solidify the team into the top 4, and then invest when the money starts to come in. Inter made top 4 with a very different team then what they’re fielding now, and a different manager as well. As soon as they spent two seasons in the Champions League, they changed their approach and aimed for a title, and they’re competing for it. I would love to bring in Thiago Silva, a guy like Modric, keep Zlatan etc, until we can aim higher. But that’s equally risky, and they cost high wages too.
Overall, yes there’s a lot of risk. But the longer the club sits in mediocrity, the longer it will take to rise again. I’ll take the approach of hiring a manager with a proven resume at building clubs in a certain manner, when you know the potential is to build a competitive team, rather than settle for a pragmatic, gattuso approach where the team is decent but the ceiling is low.