The 2018/19 AC Milan team kicked off with Gennaro Gattuso still at the helm and a new technical sponsor, with PUMA joining the Club's partners. On 10 July, the Elliott Management Corporation took control of the club, and, in the following months, the management changed with the arrivals of President Paolo Scaroni, CEO Ivan Gazidis, General Manager Leonardo and Paolo Maldini, the new Director of Strategic Development of the Sporting Area. The first half of the year was one of highs and lows: in the league, AC Milan remained in the Champions League spots; between December and January, the Rossoneri put these setbacks and the narrow loss in the Supercoppa Italiana behind them, winning seven times in nine games. As a result, they moved up to third place with eleven matches to go, thanks in part to Piątek's excellent start to life in an AC Milan shirt, with the Pole scoring eleven times in 21 games after his arrival from Genoa. The four consecutive victories to finish off the campaign (Bologna, Fiorentina, Frosinone and SPAL) were not enough to secure Champions League football, finishing just one point off Inter. Meanwhile, Lazio, the eventual winners, knocked the Rossoneri out of the Coppa Italia. The 2019/20 season, however, was not to be the Club's third consecutive campaign in Europe following the Club's voluntary acceptance of a one-year exclusion from UEFA Club competitions, in settlement of breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Our adventure in Group F of the Europa League began with two consecutive wins thanks to Higuaín (scoring the winner in Luxembourg against F91 Dudelange) and Cutrone with a brace against Olympiacos at San Siro. Gattuso's side only picked up one point against Real Betis and despite the 5-2 win over F91 Dudelange at San Siro, qualification to the Round of 32 came down to the final game in a very tight group. Olympiacos dominated and Gattuso's side bid farewell to Europe with a 3-1 defeat.
