Roberto Mancini returned to coach Inter Milan last November, six years after his first spell in charge. It was an exceptional period of success, only to be greeted with a fairly shambolic, uncoordinated mass of individuals, many of whom would not have been befitting of the Nerazzurri shirt during his first helm.

It must have felt like surveying the scenes of a wreckage as Mancini nimbly poked around, looking for vague signs of class. He found solace in the presence of Mauro Icardi, an elite-level goal-getter, while comfort would also have been given by the solid hands of Samir Handanovic. However, outside of that, this Inter team did not resemble anything like what he had left behind.

Tasked with returning the club to its former glories, Mancini initially tossed and turned over his formation of choice before settling on a 4-3-1-2. In January, he brought in wingers, a decision predicated on the supposed issues created by predecessor Walter Mazzarri’s predilection for a back three with wing-backs.

Mazzarri’s tactical preferences left Inter without true wide players in attacking areas, leading to Mancini’s successful pursuit of Xherdan Shaqiri and Lukas Podolski. However, the tactical to-ing and fro-ing, combined with the transfer market activity, did not lead to a change in short-term fortunes. Inter sat in ninth place when Mancini returned. They finished the season in eighth.

Essentially, what the last few months have told Mancini, and the rest of football, is that an icon’s return, while symbolic, does not necessarily precede an improved team performance. Ultimately, it is just one factor amid a multitude of others, including financial backing, squad strength and long-term vision.

One week ago today, Carlo Ancelotti was relieved of his duties as manager of Real Madrid after failing to land silverware in his second season with the club. Despite winning La Decima in his first year, the high demands of Madrid managerial life got to him in the end.

Speaking to Italian newspaper Il Giornale (via ESPN FC), Ancelotti stated his intentions to take a break from football, prioritising surgery on his back and time with his soon-to-be-born grandchild. Since then, however, there have been persistent rumours linking him with a return to AC Milan.

Ancelotti coached Milan in exemplary manner between late 2001 and May 2009, winning one Scudetto, two Champions Leagues, two European Super Cups, one Club World Cup, one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa. He spent more time with the Rossoneri than with any other club in his managerial career thus far.

He had dinner with Milan CEO Adriano Galliani last Wednesday, where it is said that the possibility of his taking Filippo Inzaghi’s place as Milan coach was discussed. The likelihood of this actually happening is uncertain, though it is worth considering what Ancelotti would encounter should he resume the club’s coaching hot seat.

The first thing he would notice is, like Mancini with Inter, a clear drop-off in the quality of the players. Since he left, a team formerly built around legends such as Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo is now without leadership or character.

All of those mentioned above were arguably beyond their absolute peak by the time Ancelotti departed, and there was little or no succession plan, resulting in today’s Milan—a revolving door of cast-offs, has-beens and never-weres.

A harsh assessment, perhaps, though league tables do not lie, and since those heady days of Ancelotti’s reign, Milan have fallen beyond all recognition. Massimiliano Allegri was able to temporarily stem the descent, guiding them to a league title in 2011 and second place in 2012, but since he was sacked in January 2014, the club slid to eighth to finish off the 2013-14 campaign and 10th this season in the Serie A table.

The playing squad and league position are merely the tip of the iceberg, however. Structural issues lie at the foundation of Milan’s recent decline.

For the first time since the Deloitte Money League began as a publication, Milan lie outside the top 10 richest football clubs in terms of revenue generation (via Goal.com). As of last season, they sat 12th in this list, while during most of Ancelotti’s tenure as club coach, they were in the top five.

Furthermore, Milan are unable to arrest their financial downturn with the commercial gains associated with stadium ownership, as Juventus are. As it stands, they are awaiting the go-ahead to begin work on a stadium of their own, while there is additional doubt surrounding the ownership of the club as a whole, with Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol linked with a move, according to a statement from Doyen Sports to ANSA (via Football Italia), to acquire Milan.

The conditions for success have hardly been laid, and while it is difficult to foresee Milan sinking any lower than where they are right now, it is also hard to see where an upturn could come from.

When he sits down post-surgery with a glass of his favourite drink and ruminates over how mercilessly he was treated by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Ancelotti may be tempted to reminisce over the good times he had with Milan. His thoughts may then inevitably turn to a potential comeback, but if Roberto Mancini and Inter have clarified anything, it is that going back isn’t always as easy as it seems.

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