The legendary manager Fabio Capello has shared his thoughts on the rumoured changes to AC Milan’s starting XI by Paulo Fonseca tonight. Using an example from his own career, he believes the Portuguese manager could be proven right with the ‘big risk’.
Indeed, as per the latest reports, Fonseca will start both Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Morata up front in tonight’s Derby della Madonnina against Inter. Not only that, but he will also keep Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on the flanks, meaning it will practically be a 4-2-4.
In his latest editorial for Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Milan manager Capello discussed the move and stated that Fonsexa will be ‘taking a big risk’. On the other hand, as he also pointed out, this could be the way for the manager to save his job.
“Tonight we have another big match, the Milan derby, even if the moods at Inter and Milan are almost opposite. Inzaghi’s team is coming off a great performance in Manchester, while the Rossoneri are struggling and I understand that Fonseca is already at risk. Put like this, it is obvious to give the Nerazzurri the odds as favourites. But be careful not to be presumptuous and lower your attention threshold. Milan is always Milan and the derby is the derby.
“Fonseca could change something, focusing on Abraham and Morata from start. Interesting solution: the Englishman has shown great desire in his first outings and can also be a stimulus for his teammates. It certainly won’t be easy for the Rossoneri to practice the Portuguese coach’s football against Inter: the Italian champions, thanks to a high-quality midfield, are exceptional at eluding the opposition’s pressing and the match against City was yet another demonstration of this.
“This is why Fonseca is taking a big risk with the two strikers plus Pulisic and Leao. However, the Rossoneri coach knows what awaits him. If he wins, he will be right, otherwise he will face what everyone is already thinking. I experienced something similar as the coach of Real Madrid, before an away match at Barcelona. It wasn’t a derby, but you can understand that the wait was similar… In the end, we won and I was confirmed on the bench. I wish Fonseca the same happy ending,” he stated.
It remains to be seen if Fonseca will be proven right but there certainly is great doubt about the defensive phase. He seems more keen on outscoring Inter to clinch the three points, as also alluded to during the presser yesterday.
Outscoring the best defense in the world. Just keep it 4231 bro, scoring many goals against the wall is not impossible but hard. I woke up positive for Milan and I’m still positive. FORZA MILAN
I think the 442 risk is worth taking. Milan has always been successful with this formation and the late Berlusconi has always said that Milan should always play with 2 strikers. This is the Milan DNA.
Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit. Jean Pierre Papin and Marco van Basten. Marco Simone and George Weah. Massaro and Savicevic. Oliver Bierhoff and Shevchenko. Inzaghi and Shevchenko.
These were some of the greatest striker combinations in Milan history and I remember that clearly as I have been a milan fan since 1988.
Morata and Abraham can give us something to dream about. Both Okafor and Jovic play better when paired with a striker.
Good luck to Fonseca and I hope this is a turning point Milan.
You’re forgetting that behind those striker pairings were Baresi, Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Tassotti, Desailly, Rijkaard, Albertini, Boban…….
I love risky calls but this sounds like a terrible idea. We have one of the worst defenses in the league, so far. Inter will run wild on the counter attack. Ugghhh, let’s just get it over with I guess.
This is dense in my opinion. 4-2-4 against Inter will get you sacked RIGHT after the game. Outside of Puli none of them track back to help.
We can’t even string together enough passes without misplacing one and every time we do, inter break through our midfield with 1-2 passes….
Why can’t we defend in numbers then counter? We have the players for it.
I’ve seen them track back in the past. Leo in the champions league 1/4 final against Napoli. Pulisic as well. Reason why it’s risky the midfield is weak. If we had a Kessie Tonali it would be more practical. He’s desperate. 433 false 9 would have been practical. Morata as proven himself in the Euro in the 433 formation.
This formation is all about Leao, and the effort he puts in defensively. If he is lazy with this formation I guarantee all Inter’s movements will start on the right, then find an unmarked midfielder because our midfield has had to adjust to make up for Leao’s absence, followed by a pass to the right wing…and from there we all know what happens as we have seen it so many times. It just seems so incomprehensible that motivating a professional athlete to work hard has been such a challenge.
ACM 1899. I tend to agree but having two strikers when Milan gets the ball deep means you can by pass the midfield and have two decent hold up players to play off of. I don’t think they will play out of the back as much unless they have forced Inter’s midfield higher up the field and then with Pulisic playing deeper he can be one of the midfielders. But, I expect a number of balls over the top with the speed of Leao, Tammy, and Morata. They will need to have one striker drop deeper on defense when Inter has the ball. As Leao does not play defense, Pulisic is going to have to play deep. So the early attack will be Morata, Tammy, and Leao with Pulisic arriving late, if he arrives at all at times.
Mister, are you seriously compare yourself with Fonsewho?