AC Milan’s summer friendly wins against Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Monza have quickly been forgotten after the bad start under Paulo Fonseca.
As Calciomercato.com report, those games in the USA perhaps deluded some into thinking that Milan were ahead of schedule in the development of the new era under Fonseca. The Portuguese coach was the first to understand that something was not going in the right direction.
These signs were perhaps perceived in the training sessions that preceded the match against Parma, which led the Portuguese coach to change plans after using Christian Pulisic as an attacking midfielder and Samuel Chukwueze on the right for a month.
Instead, Fonseca opted to use Ruben Loftus-Cheek as an attacking midfielder in a side that seemed to have been made by his predecessor Stefano Pioli, a move aimed at rediscovering some uncertainties but with results on the field even worse than one could have imagined.
After the game in the dressing room Zlatan Ibrahimovic held a meeting with the team and while there was no shouting or berating, he urged the team to give more in terms of sacrifice. He sees the players as being primarily responsible, net of some controversial choices by Fonseca.
Talking about a dismissal after the second game seems really disrespectful towards a coach in Fonseca who signed a three-year contract. Everyone must do more, and the game against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico must provide a turning point. Only with the results on the field will trust in the new era build.
Gerry Cardinale was at Milanello yesterday to speak directly with all the members of the management. He spoke with Fonseca, reiterating his support and taking stock of things, and hoping for a better result this coming weekend.