#3 Vincenzo Montella is the right supremo for the job
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At a time when Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Marcelo Bielsa – great tacticians and masters of the idiosyncratic, strategic, touch – it might sound odd to think that a coach who doesn’t believe fully in the ultimate power of tactics could prove valuable in leading Milan back to the bright lights of consistent triumph.
And yet, Vincenzo Montella is already starting to make many doubt their own football philosophy biases.
Recently, the Milan manager stated that he doesn’t hold too much stock in tactics as a necessary ingredient to win championships, quoted by Football Italia as saying that what matters more are ‘the players’ quality, the coach’s skill and the club’s expertise.’ Many would not like to rely so heavily on so many varying and independent factors to ensure success, but there is something to Montella’s comments.
In a way, the daring coach is giving his players the freedom to express themselves in a more fluid formation and system than most would normally buy into – and isn’t it that natural flair and atmosphere of play that very often inspires the best performances and the best performers? Kaka would think so, Ronaldinho, Filippo Inzaghi, too – the list of Rossoneri alumni who have prospered on this mentality surely attest to it.
Of course, time will tell whether Montella is right, but as it stands his liberal approach has the club approaching something resembling a strut at their best. Two wins against Atalanta and Bologna would build up some steam ahead of their festive Super Cup clash against Juventus. It might well evolve into a casual swagger by the season’s end.
