AC Milan suffered an embarrassing defeat to Parma on Saturday evening as they never managed to match the performance of the home side. With just one point after two games, the situation is heating up for Paulo Fonseca.
Today’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (see photo below) has taken stock of Milan’s precarious position and what went wrong against Parma. The Rossoneri never stood a chance, as was clear to anyone watching, and the start to the season has been a disaster.
Zero cohesion and teamwork
Parma, as opposed to Milan, looked very good and managed to dominate the affair thanks to their organisation. Had it not been for some great chances missed, they would have won more convincingly. The Rossoneri, meanwhile, looked unbalanced and relied on individual quality.
Fonseca’s side remained in the game thanks to several crucial interceptions by Strahinja Pavlovic, who didn’t exactly have an easy task. The stars of the team didn’t do enough once again, as Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez displayed inconceivable errors and carelessness.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was barely seen in the No.10 role, and Noah Okafor showed that he’s more of a super-sub than anything else. Without Alvaro Morata, this team lacks a point of reference up front, also because Alvaro is tactically evolved, unlike many of his teammates.
From a tactical point of view, the performance was embarrassing. It was the perfect example of how not to do things: every ball lost, even sixty meters from Maignan’s goal, became a potential goal chance for the opponents.
There were no preventive markings, the distances between the departments were enormous and – above all – there was no mutual help. The excuse of tired legs is not valid. And then it’s not as if Parma started training in June. Pecchia’s team simply knows what to do with the ball, is prepared in both phases and plays according to clear principles.
Ibrahimovic must speak up
As a player, there is no doubt that Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have destroyed the locker room after a performance like that. It remains to be seen what his reaction as a director will be. There is certainly no time to waste, otherwise the season will become dangerously complicated.
One point and four goals conceded in two games are numbers that have set off an alarm already. Fonseca’s Milan is the same, or even uglier than Pioli’s: the coach hasn’t managed to convey anything so far and the players seem to be on vacation. It can’t get any worse, but it’s little consolation.
