The credit that Paulo Fonseca built up after the derby win against Inter has expired, and he must once again put together a run of results otherwise he could lose his job.
As Calciomercato.com write, the victory against the Nerazzurri led a lot of fans to believe that Fonseca had made a cohesive team ready to compete for the title but this notion melted like snow in the sun with the two defeats against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and Fiorentina before the break.
The latter in particular brought to the surface all the dressing room problems that Milan have been having since the start of the season as some big names let the side down again, and Fonseca is not ready to be seen as the coach who can’t get his players to respect him.
In the press conference on the eve of Milan-Udinese he continued along the same lines of communication as in recent weeks: he put all the problems on the table, with direct and strong language. Perhaps too much for what we are used to, and the club’s leadership too.
The message can be summed up like this: “I’m in charge here and I don’t care if the players don’t agree with my choices.” While waiting to find leadership in the group, the Portuguese coach reiterated that he is the main boss when it comes to the squad.
The question that arises spontaneously is the following: should Fonseca’s act be considered more of an act of courage or a further risky strategy? The former Lille coach has decided to implement a real revolution for tonight’s game with Leão, Abraham and Gabbia out, in addition to the suspended Hernández.
Those who expected the Rossoneri management to take a stand in front of the cameras and fans during the international break were disappointed, as nobody spoke.
Off the record, support for Fonseca was reiterated, but the Portuguese knows he has to live day by day because another misstep against Udinese could make the situation worse.
Edin Terzic – the former coach of Borussia Dortmund – continues to send messages about being open to taking over, but in the event of a sacking Milan are more likely to hire an Italian.
Max Allegri and Maurizio Sarri have not been directly contacted but have sent the message that they are open to taking over during the season. Igor Tudor’s name remains on the table too.