Alessandro Costacurta is ‘not convinced’ by the hiring of Paulo Fonseca and he named four managers that he believes would have been better choices.
Fonseca was presented at his official press conference on Monday and it would be fair to say that he arrives amid a mixed reaction. Some believe that he could be the right coach at the right time for Milan’s project, while others wanted a more ambitious or glamorous name.
There will be pressure on the former Lille and Roma manager to not only match Stefano Pioli’s results but also to better them. The objective – as Fonseca himself admitted he is aware – must be to win trophies, after two seasons without.
Costacurta has given an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport and the former defender spoke about the decision to go with Fonseca as well as Milan’s struggles in the defensive phase, with his comments relayed by TMW.
What are your thoughts on the hiring of Fonseca?
“I wasn’t enthusiastic about him, but at the same time I don’t want to criticise the decision made because Fonseca is a good person, a serious professional. I would have preferred another coach because the fans needed someone who makes them… dream.
“In my day, the ones who made people dream were the players who were bought, while now big transfer moves aren’t possible. The choice of coach can’t be made with the fans in mind, but anyway.”
Who would you have bet on?
“On someone with a stroke of genius: Conte, De Zerbi or Sarri. I also like Thiago Motta, who had already taken a certain direction for some time.
“For Milan’s philosophy, I recognise that Fonseca is the right choice, the coach most aligned with the new course. The Portuguese has shown himself to be a good coach, but I don’t know if he will be able to bring the Rossoneri back to winning ways.”
What is the first thing he will have to do?
“Fix the defensive phase. A year ago I said that the performance of the two central defenders would be decisive and it wasn’t good. Now I repeat the same thing.”