Another inconsistent season for AC Milan which ultimately ended in failure to return to the Champions League. The Rossoneri finished one place higher than last season and with a bigger points tally but it wasn't enough for Gennaro Gattuso to stay at the club as he announced his resignation.
Gattuso divided opinion - many love the passion he still exudes from the sidelines and the honesty he showed in his assessment of his own shortcomings. The manager often blames himself before anyone or anything else - even though his squad faced an injury crisis at times this season and some decisions went against them. Gattuso never looked to make excuses.
In the cold light of day though, despite his admirable qualities as a man - is Gattuso a good enough coach to lead AC Milan back to where they want to go? The results and performances on the pitch suggest not.
The Rossoneri did have some purple patches scattered throughout the campaign. Perhaps their best run came after the January arrivals of Lucas Paqueta and the prolific Krzysztof Piatek. Both were excellent in the first couple of months of 2019 - with Piatek especially achieving cult status amongst the Milanisti - but a heartbreaking defeat against bitter rivals Inter set off another poor run of form which the squad never really recovered from.
As much as it can be easy to blame the manager, it is also pertinent to look at the squad of players he has to work with. This is a very workmanlike group of players - not many of whom would get into the great Milan sides of recent history. Their big acquisition of the summer was Gonzalo Higuain but it seems quite clear now that he has seen better days and was shipped off to Chelsea in January.
Suso is the only one who can really create something out of nothing and even he is often inconsistent. The Spaniard ended up joint-second on the assist chart for Serie A with 10 and also bagged 7 goals. Alessio Romagnoli and Gianluigi Donnarumma are still very young but could be stalwarts at the San Siro if they stick around.
With both Gattuso and sporting director Leonardo leaving the club, it's now up to the board to make the right appointments in order to return this great club to its former glories.
