AC Milan legend Arrigo Sacchi says Stefano Pioli is paying for poor squad plannnig.

Pioli's job is on line during the Christmas break after a poor run of recent results.

Sacchi wrote for La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Simply: it's not a squad. I should say, sometimes it is and sometimes it looks like complete darkness.

“There is no continuity, it's too fluctuating. In Salerno there was no collective idea, but a group that was scattered all over the pitch. Everyone does their own thing.

“The defence is in difficulty because the attackers aren't helping. This is the real problem. The fact is that there are players who don't have continuity of performance.

“I don't think the problem will be solved by getting rid of the coach. Pioli has done great things, but he hasn't managed to show continuity in his work. But it must be said, I don't know if there is anyone around who would be able to bring continuity to this squad.

“In my opinion, in the summer transfer market. Only foreign players were brought in, who hadn't had brilliant experiences beforehand. Also, they had to get used to Italian football.

“But we need to understand that it can be difficult for young lads arriving from abroad to settle in immediately. Even great champions have had difficulties at the beginning. If you build a completely new team based on foreigners, you need to have patience. But patience in football, as we know, is a rare commodity."