da cassino online： The American is arguably in the best form of his life – which is quite the achievement given how things are falling apart around him at San Siro

da realsbet： Christian Pulisic presently finds himself in a rather peculiar position. He's playing arguably the best football of his career at AC Milan – and yet his future at San Siro is shrouded in uncertainty. As former United States international Alexi Lalas said recently, "It would be ironic if the best season he's had results ends with him having to go elsewhere."

It still seems unlikely, of course, but nothing can be ruled out right now – because Milan are a mess. The Rossoneri will finish the season in second place in Serie A but, domestically, they've been humiliated by city rivals Inter, and humbled in continental competition by Roma.

Consequently, Stefano Pioli is set to be sacked as coach, the fans are furious with the club's owners, while stars such as Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan could be sold this summer. And the thing is, nobody is in the least bit surprised. Indeed, there was always the fear that by leaving Chelsea for Milan last summer, Pulisic was simply swapping one crisis club for another – and so it's proved…

GettyThe Leao dilemma

Not for the first time this season, Pulisic was Milan's best player in Saturday's 3-3 draw with Genoa, a lovely assist for Olivier Giroud the highlight of a dynamic display. He was a "constant" threat, as the acknowledged in its match ratings: "[He] always made the right moves. The problem is the others…"

It was a fair point. So many of Milan's most important players have underwhelmed this season. Maignan hasn't dropped any clangers but just hasn't been his usual magical self, while Fikayo Tomori's form has dipped since the surprise Scudetto success of 2022.

And then there's Leao. The Portuguese remains Milan's talisman, and statistically speaking, he's had a more productive campaign than Pulisic. But Leao is a level or two above the American, meaning the bar is set so much higher for him.

So, a subdued showing against Genoa, which came after dismal displays against Inter and Juventus, resulted in Leao not only being rightly withdrawn by Pioli, but also being booed as he left the field. The winger responded by heading straight down the tunnel rather than taking his seat on the bench.

Consequently, there is a very real chance that Milan may decide to cash in on their most valuable asset. "He's no longer able to be Leao," the pointed out. "Now it's decision time: does he feel able to start over here in Milan or would it also be better for him to change team?"

It's quite the dilemma for the club's America owners, Redbird Capital Partners, whose management has come under increasing scrutiny over the past two years.

AdvertisementGetty 'Winning project starts from the club'

Before the Genoa game, the Curva Sud unveiled a banner which read "Communication strategy. Institutional presence. Targeted signings. Cohesion, ambition, ability. A winning project starts from the club."

When the game kicked off, there was a sustained round of applause from the ultras and then… nothing. No singing of songs, no waving of flags, no signs of support at all. Worse still, with 10 minutes remaining in a game that was still in the balance, they just left, labelling their protest 'The sound of silence' – and it was deafening.

"You have to respect the fans," Pioli said afterwards. "They have their reasons." There are a lot of them, too, but it all basically boils down to a perceived lack of clarity, communication and ambition – as perhaps best illustrated by the calamitous coaching situation.

(C)Getty ImagesLopetegui backlash

While RedBird owner Gerry Cardinale rarely speaks to the press, Milan president Paolo Scaroni, CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada have been repeatedly asked about Pioli's position, but not one has confirmed what everyone else knows: that the Scudetto-winning coach will be sacked at the end of the season.

This, in spite of the fact, that Milan were ready to hire Julen Lopetegui as Pioli's successor just last week, only for a bitter fan backlash to prompt a stunning 11th-hour U-turn. As far as Cardinale & Co. were concerned, the Spaniard ticked all the boxes. He had plenty of experience of continental competition (even winning the Europa League with Sevilla) and working with young players (at under-age level with Spain).

However, the fans were seriously underwhelmed by the prospect of hiring a man who had lasted just 10 league games in charge of Real Madrid – and been out of work since leaving Wolves at the end of the 2022-23 Premier League season.

Less than 48 hours after news of his imminent arrival at San Siro broke, '#Nopetegui' was trending on X, while 10,000 Milan supporters had signed a petition calling on the club's owners to call off the deal.

Getty'Total chaos reigns'

It was a painfully embarrassing climbdown that not only made Milan's owners look weak, but also leaves them in a very awkward position. As the Curva Sud pointed out in a statement released before last week's walkout, "You can't think of having a winning project if you still don't know who the new coach will be in May… It becomes difficult to construct a team that is compatible with the needs of the new coach. Total chaos reigns within the club."

The ultras also made it clear that, two years into Cardinale's tenure, their patience has run out. While accepting that Milan don't have access to "rivers of money like other teams in other leagues", they argued that greater investment in the first-team squad was the only way for RedBird to prove that they care more about winning trophies than making money.

"Milan is not a product to speculate on and Milan is not a club that is content to merely participate," the Curva Sud warned. "Milan has a people behind it who by history and tradition are used to being in the elite of world football."

And it's worth remembering that club legend Paolo Maldini repeatedly made the very same argument before being ruthlessly axed by Milan last summer.