AC Milan supporters will look back on their club’s gamble to stick with unproven coach Stefano Pioli as the decision that set them on course to winning their first Serie A title in 11 years.A double from Olivier Giroud inspired Milan to a 3-0 victory at Sassuolo in their season finale on Sunday to seal the Serie A title ahead of rivals Inter Milan, ending what had been too long a wait for the Scudetto for a club of Milan’s grandeur.
The man who masterminded the title triumph collected the first trophy of his 19-year coaching career, but it could have been so very different had the club not shown faith in him at the start of Milan’s journey back to the top.Milan’s fall from grace following their previous Scudetto triumph in 2011 was spectacular. Four years after their 18th Serie A triumph, the seven-time European Cup winners finished 10th in the standings and they spent seven seasons outside the top four of the Italian top flight between 2014 and 2020.
