Paolo Maldini’s voice joined the choir of disappointment aiming harmony at the frailty of AC Milan’s season and backroom staff and while his words don’t necessarily illuminate any new points that haven’t already been mentioned by his peers in the Italian football world, they should hit hardest.

The former Milan captain and 25-year stalwart directed a fan’s anger and confusion towards Gazzetta dello Sport and while his words are perhaps tinged with a personal flavour given the history between himself and Rossoneri CEO Adriano Galliani, Maldini’s tone echoes the one felt around Italy and the greater footballing sphere after Milan slipped to a cataclysmic 40 points behind Juventus in Serie A.

“Inside me is a mixture of anger and delusion,” the former defender told GDS.

“The impression is that what was built over the last 10 years was thrown away. This really hurts me.

“Milan had the good fortune to have more winning cycles with similar synergies of men. I know how much work there is behind so many trophies that was desired to build such a great history.

“To see all of it destroyed makes me crazy.”

Maldini continues to chastise his former club, criticizing the lack of a “winning mentality” present in the locker room following the exit of veterans like Massimo Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta and Andrea Pirlo.

The 2012 squad makeover that saw several key members of an entire generation of Milan players leave including stars Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Milan in a position they had never been under Silvio Berlusconi; without a core group of veterans. Even when Berlusconi took over the club in 1986 he could rely on Franco Baresi captaining a strong Italian core to add talent to, the Milan of 2012 onwards suddenly had no spine.

In reality, Milan’s “rebuild happened” six years too late. Instead of beginning a fresh new cycle following the 2007 Champions League triumph where players nearing the tail end of their peaks won their last European Cup, Berlusconi and Galliani purchased a series of “stop-gap” signings to pacify fans and to ensure Champions League qualification.

Ronaldinho, Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic all entered the club for short stays while the money made from selling Riccardo Kaka’ was poorly reinvested on bloated bonus wages and footballers brought in with shirt sales rather than trophies in mind.

Instead of supplementing a veteran side with young players so that when those older players leave there is a comfortable transition from one generation to another, Milan balked at the wage bill in light of Michel Platini’s loose threats of kicking teams out of European competition that don’t comply and got rid of players all at once, ironically making them too weak to qualify for the Champions League anyway.

One only has to look at Juventus and see a team with the right locker room balance to continue it’s winning cycle. Alongside veteran leaders Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo there is Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Barzagli and arguably Arturo Vidal to be considered as leaders. When Buffon and Pirlo go, Chiellini and Marchisio ascend to those roles in the future.

There is a vacuum of charisma at Milan, the handing of an armband worn by Maldini, Baresi, et al to Riccardo Montolivo in the first year of his Rossoneri career indicative of that fact. Who after Montolivo? Christian Abbiati? Daniele Bonera? After that, you’re down to recent arrivals and kids. It’s not comparable.

In context, it is understandable that a man like Paolo Maldini who can recall a locker room with the “tiers” of leadership that Juventus can count on for their success today would find the current situation abhorrent. Milan, a team built around “heroes” in years gone by have now turned to a collection of cowardly sidekicks, and the results are showing.