News about Stefano Pioli

The Serie A season has nearly reached its conclusion with just three rounds of fixtures left and things are heating up in the race for the Champions League places. Meanwhile, AC Milan look set for a managerial change in the summer after a disappointing season under Stefano Pioli, while Juventus players wait to find out if they will be coached by Massimiliano Allegri next season. Mail Sport's Italian football expert Alvise Cagnazzo rounds up 10 things we learnt from the latest round of Serie A games.

AC Milan have reportedly identified Roberto De Zerbi as one of several managers who could succeed outgoing boss Stefano Pioli.  Julen Lopetegui had also been heavily linked with a move to take over at the Serie A giants, but in the past few days, it appears Milan are 'looking for alternative options to the Wolves boss', according to Gazzetta Dello Sport. Reports claim that Pioli is set to leave his position as Milan boss at the end of the season, after the club were beaten by neighbours Inter Milan 2-1 last week, with their rivals also winning clinching Serie A with the victory. 

AC Milan's players were confronted by club Ultras after their elimination from the Europa League.  Stefano Pioli's side were knocked out the competition after a 2-1 second leg defeat to Roma on Thursday night saw the tie end 3-1 on aggregate to their league rivals. It was the Rossoneri's third match without a win and - with the Milan derby looming - their supporters made sure that their frustrations were felt.

Last season, AC Milan were treated to an all-Italian European clash when they took on rivals Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals.  Fast forward one year and the Rossoneri are faced with a similar prospect, this time taking on Daniele De Rossi's Roma in a Europa League quarter-final affair.  Stefano Pioli's Milan have already completed a domestic double over their rivals in their Serie A campaign but have the opportunity to compile further misery when they meet on Thursday. 

It was another eventful round of fixtures in Serie A this weekend, with league leaders Inter Milan securing a 2-1 win against Udinese and Juventus beating Fiorentina 1-0. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, the threat of relegation looms large for Salernitana following their 2-2 draw with fellow strugglers Sassuolo.  Mail Sport's ALVISE CAGNAZZO talks us through 10 things we learned from the Italian top flight this weekend.

Darmstadt's players suffered with the wrath of their fans in a dramatic 6-0 loss at home to Augsburg that forced them closer to Bundesliga relegation. At the final whistle, the squad - as well as some staff members - were forced to stand and listen as a member of the club's 'ultras' came onto the pitch and coached them. The empowered fan seemed to make it quite clear how bad the effort had been when Darmstadt suffered a new low in a season of struggle.

After the midfielder struck twice in AC Milan's Europa League play-off match against Rennes on Thursday evening, Owen Hargreaves applauded Ruben Loftus-Cheek's decision to leave Chelsea. The 28-year-old Blues academy graduate left his boyhood club as a result of Stamford Bridge's summer exodus, which saw a number of former first-team starters sell to offset the club's mammoth transfer window investment. Loftus-Cheek has settled in Milan and has emerged as a regular fixture under Stefano Pioli, alongside Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic, and Fikayo Tomori.

Despite the club being linked to a change for Antonio Conte, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has given his support to new AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli. Since losing his job at Spurs, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager has been out of work, and reportedly held talks with the Italian club last month. Conte is reported to have spoken with former Milan striker Ibrahimovic, who now works as the club's senior advisor, about replacing Pioli next season. In a brief and immediate reaction to his new manager, the Swedish superstar has now poured his complete support behind him. 'He is our coach, and we are content with him,' Ibrahimovic confirmed the love behind Pioli by stating, 'He is our coach and we are thrilled with him.'

Jose Mourinho was unable to do much from the stands as he watched his fading Roma side slide to their seventh Serie A loss of the season, leaving the club ninth in the league standings. After scoring his team's third of the evening with a spectacular pass of play, Theo Hernandez's goal was the pick of the bunch.

As Massimo Allegri's side claimed a crucial 2-1 victory over Frosinone, Kenan Yildiz made history by becoming Juventus' youngest goalscorer in the club's history. Jose Mourinho, who won the mentality contest against Napoli with Roma, had a much better weekend, resulting in a thrilling fight to overthrowrown the reigning Serie A champions' future European dreams. However, AC Milan's ever-growing injury list was dealt another blow when Fikayo Tomori limped out in the draw against Salernitana, giving him 23 muscle injuries in 17 games. Stefano Pioli's crew suffered with 23 muscles in 17 games.

After being barred from football for ten months in October due to illicit betting allegations, the 23-year-old midfielder will miss tonight's pivotal Champions League match against St James' Park. It's a must-win match for Newcastle and AC Milan, but they may not be able to make it out of the group stage regardless of the outcome, if Paris Saint-Germain defeated Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Inter Milan regained top position from Juventus with a vital victory over Napoli, which is heating up. The reigning champions of Napoli, who are rapidly losing their place as one of the top teams in the competition, are already feeling the wrath. Juventus won a hard fight against Monza on Saturday, reaffirming their Scudetto credentials, but Dusan Vlahovic's goals continued.

Francesco Camarda, the teen sensation for Milan, has a chance to be Italy's next golden boy. Michael Owen, who burst on the scene at the 1998 World Cup and went on to win the 2001 Ballon d'Or, has his extraordinary rise. Camarda doesn't have a formal contract yet, but has already scored seven goals in 13 games at youth level, and Stefano Pioli is considering bringing him into the first team squad for their match against Fiorentina on Saturday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic could still return to AC Milan as part of an all-new partnership in which the 42-year-old star will serve as a club ambassador and member of head coach Stefano Pioli's backroom staff. In 2023, the Sweden international called time on his decorated career with the Rossoneri, a season after his return to the team helped them seal the Scudetto in his second stint with the San Siro in Milan's colours. Ibrahimovich resigned, "he'll be a Milanista (his) entire life" as he thanked the followers - and he might well live up to that promise with a new unofficial role.

In Serie A at San Siro on Saturday, lackluster AC Milan lost 1-0 to lowly Udinese, extending Stefano Pioli's winless streak to four games across all divisions. In the 62nd minute, Udinese's Roberto Pereyra converted the winning penalty for the visitors, but Milan had dominated the first half but failed to give up their hopes. Milan dropped to third position on 22 points from 11 games, six points behind leaders Inter Milan, who beat Atalanta 2-1 away earlier Saturday and a point behind second-placed Juventus, who will visit Fiorentina on Sunday.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO: This weekend, there was a TON of action in Serie A, with Inter Milan gaining some ground at the top of the table. Since being defeated 1-0 by Juventus at home, the Nerazzuri now have a one point clearer advantage over AC Milan in second place. Atalanta beat Genoa 2-0 to keep their position in the top six, but Roma are on their heels, with Stephan El Shaarawy scoring a last-gasp winner to help them clinch a 1-0 victory over Monza.

Olivier Giroud, a Milan striker, has been selected as a goalkeeper in Serie A this week after being coerced to take off gloves when Mike Maignan was dismissed. After the club had used up all of its substitutes, France international Maignan received a late red card during a San Siro match for a foul on Caleb Ekuban in stoppage time. Stefano Pioli was forced to change to one of the on-field players, but Giroud was the one to don the bright green goalkeeper jacket.

Since the Frenchman's last-ditch heroics against Genoa on Saturday, AC Milan has produced goalkeeper jerseys bearing the name of striker Olivier Giroud. Since the club had used up all of its swaps, Milanese No. 1 Mike Maignan received a late red card during the San Siro match for a foul on Caleb Ekuban in stoppage time. Stefano Pioli was then tapped by the World Cup champion to take off the gloves, donning Maignan's distinctive green jacket.

Coach Stefano Pioli of Milan refused to apologize to supporters following Inter Milan's 5-1 humiliation. The thrashing on Saturday night was their fifth straight loss to Inter this year, but there was no sign of regret thereafter. An outraged Pioli said, 'I do not agree with the suggestion of apologizing to the fans.' 'Do you think we lost 5-1 to Inter on purpose and lose the derby? We are dissatisfied, just as the fans are. You should only apologise if you do something wrong on purpose,' he says.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY Jose Mourinho's Roma have off to a rocky start in Serie A, with the Giallorossi occupying a spot in the bottom three after losing a single point from their first three matches. Mourinho's side began the season with a home draw against Salernitana, before losing to Hellas Verona and AC Milan. Mourinho's third season curse has sparked rumors that the slow start has sparked fears that the Mourinho curse might strike again. During his second stint as coach, the Portuguese coach was fired by Manchester United and Chelsea in his second spell.

For the first time in history, Manchester City threwsted the Champions League trophy into the air for the first time in history, but the competition has slowed back down again, with the group stage set to begin next month. The very best clubs in European football will eagerly await the outcome of the draw in Monaco on Thursday evening, with the glitz and glam of the occasion's glitter firing the starting pistol at the final. For the group stage draw, 32 teams will be seeded into four pots as usual. They will then be divided into eight teams of four players. The first set of fixtures will begin on September 19/20, later than last season due to a World Cup break, but no World Cup qualifier will be held in February and March. Mail Sport has the inside scoop on all of the participants in the tournament, which will begin at 5 p.m. UK time, as well as the identification of their key players and danger ratings.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: The American boy has changed Stefano Pioli's and AC Milan's soccer philosophy by appearing to return to the peaks of his Borussia Dortmund performance. Geoffrey Moncadat, Milan's top scout, made a brilliant move in bringing Christian Pulisic to Italy. Pulisic is an extraordinary player, and if he can maintain his physical fitness, he will shoot 15-20 goals, transforming himself into the team's second greatest threat after Rafael. In 90 minutes, he has already made Serie A history by becoming the first American player to score on his debut in the Italian championship. In the 4-1 victory over Torino on Saturday, he scored once more.

BOLOGNA 0-2 MILAN: AC Milan's latest signing Christian Pulisic lit the way for a successful start to Serie A with a 2-0 win over Bologna on Monday, despite the American's second goal. Following his arrival in Italy from a rocky start at Chelsea, contributing to Milan's early opener, Olivier Giroud, and finally finding the net himself, the forward got off to a promising start in Italy. 'I always knew Pulisic was a natural performer,' Milan manager Stefano Pioli told DAZN. 'I had a phone call with him before he signed that it was clear that he was adding a lot of quality to the team.'

THE EURO FILES: Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori may finish the season with a league title at Milan, but it will be harder for Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to do so at Bayern and Real Madrid. Stefano Pioli's Milan lost Sandro Tonali to Newcastle in the summer, but they have retained Rafael Leao, a 90 percent winger, and Yunus Musah from Chelsea and Valencia.