The end could be near for AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella, as he faces a potentially decisive clash with Sassuolo on Sunday night.
Despite heavy investment in the squad over the summer which saw 11 new players arrive, the Rossoneri haven’t been able to turn that into success on the pitch.
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They sit in eighth place in the Serie A table after 11 games, 12 points adrift of the top four, while they’ve been held to back-to-back goalless draws by AEK Athens in the Europa League over the last fortnight to really ramp up the pressure on Montella.
In fact, Milan have won just one of their last seven games in all competitions, and that simply isn’t good enough for them as they harboured ambitions of getting back into the Champions League next season.
While there has been no official word from the club to suggest that the Sassuolo game is make-or-break for Montella, The Express also hint at the possibility while claiming that Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is set to be targeted by the Italian giants in the event that they make a change.
Conte is under pressure himself as Chelsea have been inconsistent so far this season and have fallen behind their rivals in a bid to defend their Premier League crown.
Further, the 3-0 defeat to Roma in the Champions League in midweek wouldn’t have reflected well on the Italian tactician, and coupled with reports last month that he was homesick, as per the Metro, it has led to ongoing speculation over a return to Italy at some stage in the future.
It appears Milan could be in most need of a new boss, and that sets the path open for Conte. However, he still has a job to do at Stamford Bridge, and the same applies to Montella, with the pair undoubtedly hoping that they can avoid having to look for a new job in the near future.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying Conte is arguably a perfect solution for Milan having won five Serie A titles and the Champions League as a player for rivals Juventus, before winning three more Scudetti as their manager between 2012 and 2014.
With the experience, tactical know-how and ability to handle pressure at a top club to deliver results, he’s a tried and tested option that would possibly be perfect to get Milan to where they want to be.