Head Coach talk 2015 and 2016 and beyond

[ACMILAN1983]

Thanks nefremo, I respect that, though I think he does get his sides to play decent football, which isn't always pointed out. His Parma side and Bologna side aren't weak sides, they are difficult to break down and have shown a willingness to attack their opponents, and with that he's trusted young talents to build his sides with. I get where you're coming from, teams built by Sarri and Di Francesco have been built with a clear imprint of the manager. I'd argue Miha's Samp and even his Milan had a clear imprint of his character and another is Montella who has a distinct style of play. Donadoni in all honesty strikes me more like Allegri, a coach who has ideas and qualities that he wants out of his sides, but isn't always recognised as much because there's no specific system or approach he sticks to. However, I think watching his sides for around 10 years, we see some elements that he brings, such as he brings discipline and isn't afraid to press opponents, while he likes quick direct breaks that use players who can bring energy to a game. Actually, I think he's got a touch of Emery's style to his game, though Emery plays with a more Spanish ideology while Donadoni is more pragmatic with a more Italian identity.

Results in his career are positive, I think the only negative moments really being at Napoli, where there were a number of problems at the time he was in charge. At Italy too, specifically Euro 2008, though I think expectations were unfair and he was criticised more than deserved. After all, I believe he set records during qualifying (or at least had excellent results) and then in the tournament proper, he went out on penalties to arguably the greatest national side in history in Spain. I think given he took over a side that was past it's best and coming off a major success in WC06, it was always a job where there was greater chance of failure than success, we've also seen the results of the national side since. I think retrospectively people look back and accept that he wasn't as bad as talked about at the time.

Honestly, I speak often about having a distinct philosophy in Milan and while I don't think Donadoni displays that on the face of his teams, I actually think after Di Francesco (possibly even on par), he's my favourite Italian coach for Milan. After all, I think he's a good/excellent tactician, an excellent man manager (as seen by his work in Parma in dire circumstances and now also in Bologna) and he, more than any other coach linked, understands Milan and has always been a supporter of the club. I don't want to underestimate the last point, because I think it's imperative we get people who fit with the traditional values of the club, something that's been lost. I would also think that because he has slightly more pragmatic way of coaching, he has greater possibilities of working with what he's given (something I like about Emery) than others like Di Francesco and Sarri, who would demand some very specific qualities or players.