Theo Hernandez is still unlikely to start in the next game for AC Milan – which would make it his third straight game on the bench, and Paulo Fonseca is looking at a strange hypothesis.
With Rafael Leao injured, Theo entered the pitch against Verona and played as the left-back, allowing Alex Jimenez to push further up the pitch; a role that he did not struggle in, but certainly a clear drop-off from the Portuguese.
Nevertheless, Milan got three points (even if it wasn’t a pretty collection) and Fonseca has immediately got to thinking about how he will tackle the Leao issue.
This morning, Sky (via Milan News) reported that there could be a strange idea played out, with Fonseca looking to use the youth, instead of handing Theo an opportunity back in the starting XI. It seems that Filippo Terracciano could be brought in at left-back – with the Portuguese experimenting with him there during training today – and then Jimenez would be shifted onto the wing again.
Fonseca could seemingly revert to a two-striker system, so this would see Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders starting in midfield, alternatively, a 4-2-3-1 would see Terracciano back in midfield, and Davide Bartesaghi as the left-back.
A message is clearly being sent to Theo at present.
This coach is clueless and does not knw what his doing
The earlier the better, with this man top 8 is not guaranteed and it’s going to be a great setback for us
You’re complaining about a coach who is giving the young players a chance. Are you well? This is exactly what we need. He can’t call on the Futuro players because Bonera is useless, so he’s doing the best he can with what’s available. Even if we finish in 8th, if it means guys like Jimenez, Terraciano and Bartesaghi get playing time and show they can compete at this level, that is fantastic for our future.
If we finish 8th, that will be catastrophic for our future. We won’t earn the money we usually do which will be a problem financially.
Furthemore, by not reaching the UCL spot we will be less attractive to players who want to play for a club which plays in the UCL. So we won’t be able to purchase some of players we want but also some of our stars (Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao,…) will be more inclined to leave. Actually, even players like Terraciano, Bartesaghi,… might leave. It’s not like we’re that great with home products.
This is a great way to start a negative-feedback and bringing us back to the banter era. Well, not that Redbird cares that much anyways.
I agree with you, I’d rather we struggle with players that have an upside, than struggle with players that won’t be at the club in two years. I liked that Fonseca is giving Camarda playing time. I liked that he played Liberali and Jimenez against Genoa. Last season we saw Simic, Chaka Traore, and Zeroli. In previous seasons we saw Daniel Maldini and Gabbia come up. These players don’t have to be stars, a lot of them are happy to be squad players and help if needed.
My bigger point remains though. You have to settle on a tactical system and style of play, then you bring in the right players to implement that vision, not sign/promote players randomly.
Emerson royal is better than theo which football are we watching
God help us
This is what I mean by a poorly constructed squad. One or two injuries, suspensions, or sometimes even substitutions and chaos follows. Players were signed randomly with no playing system in mind. Morata, Okafor, Jovic all seem to be better in a two-striker system. Yet, we play with one striker because we signed three box to box midfielders last season. Reijnders, who has won me over with his improvement this season, especially when playing further up, and Musah and Loftus-Cheek who seem to be struggling with form/fitness/clear role. So we went from a planned 4-3-3 last season, back to a 4-2-3-1 after losing Diaz, De Ketelaere, and Krunic. This poor planning from the top down is the source of all our problems, as expected from the moment they fired Maldini and Massara and sold Tonali.
M&M made many mistakes in the market, stop pretending everything was great under them. Tonali was banned for a year, to complain about him being sold simply makes you a complete and utter balloon. The club almost certainly knew he has a gambling problem and cashed in.
You’re mixing up mistakes in transfers with squad construction. Maldini and Masara had a vastly superior constructed squad than after they left. Sure they made mistakes on the market, any SD will make those but it’s how an SD brings things together that makes the difference.
We knew what we were playing (4231) and they got players for the formation. Pivots? Check ✅, CAM ? Check ✅ all other areas ? Check ✅ (you can argue the quality of the positions but players were bought for the formation and playing style).
Contrast that to now. Up to now we don’t even know what we’re supposed to be playing. We play 4231, 433 and 442 and our squad fits none of those. That’s appalling! A basic check shows we don’t have a CAM nor pivots for 4231…the formation we play the most, a DM for 433 and left and right mids for a 442 not enough strikers to rotate.
Pretending? Things were great under them. Return to Champions League after seven years, top four finishes three seasons in a row, Scudetto win after eleven years, Champions League semi-final with a decimated squad after sixteen years. All of this was done on a limited budget to balance the books. Excitement was back and M&M had the ability to attract players beyond our financial means. Do you want to forget all that because a few signings didn’t work out?
Last season we finished second, 19 points off of Inter, not even competing. So yes I would rather have kept CDK and Tonali with his ban and finished fourth (I believe even fifth qualified for CL). This season, we were out of the Scudetto race before the winter break.
Very well said my brother
It is Moncada who is the scout, people forget.
M&M were much better at planning a squad, keeping players and fans happy.
It is Moncada who proposes the players, whether that is Origi, CDK, Reijnders, Emerson, Pulisic etc
I’m.glad that dude is finally being called out. Maldini haters (those two words make no sense in my mind btw) love to point out CDK as a failure as if Maldini is scouting in Belgium.
You can’t leave Theo out if Jimenez is on the Left Flank and Terraciano is in the middle.