The new coach of Milan Paulo Fonseca he finds himself facing, before he even begins, several criticisms from fans not so much related to his abilities but to his the company’s choice to hire a coach from a curriculum deemed unsuitable. The main mission of the Portuguese coach, therefore, is to earn the trust of the Rossoneri people with his work. And to do this the first mission, at a tactical level, will be return a top club defensive phase to Milan.
Defense flop
Among the various problems that emerged in the Rossoneri’s last season, the most glaring one was undoubtedly that linked to the defensive phase that on more than one occasion, regardless of the type of commitment, he conceded many, too many goals. In this sense, the data on the 49 goals conceded in the championship: 27 more than leaders Inter and who relegated the Devil to theeleventh place of this special ranking. Certainly not a placing to be proud of, especially if the objective is to fight for the championship. And there were performances that were circled in red: the five in the derby but also the four goals conceded by Monza, the three conceded against second-last Sassuolo; and again those collected in the Europa League against Rennes and Slavia Prague. But beyond the numbers the entire department struggledalso because he found little continuity due to the many injuries and above all because not supported by the rest of the team. From a coach like Fonseca, who has worked hard over the years to improve the defensive level of his teams, we expect a decisive contribution in this sense: compared to his first season with Lille, this year the Portuguese they conceded 10 fewer goals.
The market to help
Clearly, in the economy of a better defense and given the fluctuating yield of some players, it is also reasonable to expect important help from the transfer market. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the central defender is a target of the Rossoneri management even if, according to what is filtering in recent days from the upper levels of Casa Milan, it is not the current priority to invest in. First Milan would like to close the matter center forward and maybe even full-back or defensive midfielder. As regards the defense, therefore, Fonseca could have his reinforcement (or his reinforcements) in the second part of the summer window. Regarding the current players in the squad, however, it is likely that much will be decided during the Milanello meetingwhen the new coach will have the opportunity to work closely with his players. Tomori he seems sure of the starting place, as well as Matteo Gabbia can be certain of confirmation after the good second part of the season and Ibrahimovic’s investiture last Thursday. To understand the position of Malick Thiaw which this year has taken some steps backwards in terms of performance, but also of Pierre Kalulu who experienced a tormented season from a physical point of view. As regards the Frenchman, in particular, it will be appropriate to understand whether Fonseca sees him more as a player full-back or as a centre-back.
