AC Milan added key figures to the squad in the mercato. However, there are already suggestions that not enough was done during the summer, and Paulo Fonseca’s squad is showing this.
When you look at the best football clubs in the world, the ones that are successful consistently, you often see a bench that could compete with some starting elevens – take a look at Manchester City, for example.
Unfortunately, Milan cannot say the same at present, and following the loss to Leverkusen, this has not been more clear. Whilst there may be some quality on the sidelines for Fonseca, there are not enough players who can play in his system, causing suggestions that his hands are tied, and this is showing.
As Gazzetta dello Sport write, the Rossoneri have used only 14 different starting players so far this season – for comparison, Inter have named 20 different starters, City 20, and Napoli 22. Whilst this has positives, it also has very clear negatives.
So far, the Diavolo’s starting eleven have played 280 more minutes, if not more, than those playing for Inter and Juventus. Playing such a busy schedule and having few rotation options can be hugely impactful, and injuries can throw Milan into a vicious cycle – where the depth does not work for the system and so on.
It can also mean that certain players lose their rhythm and confidence, which means when they are eventually called upon, they do not perform to the level required because they have been absent for so long.
The guy is trying to save his job and his room in Casa Milan. If your life depends of Musah or Chukwueze you’re just fcked.
You can’t blame him lol but I think the team will also start rotating with easier games on the schedule.
He’s the same stubborn ox as Pioli. Doesn’t want to adapt to the players he has but wants the players to adapt to his (so vastly successful in his career) style..
By December half of the starting 11 will be already operating on 20% of ability
So either management bought wrong players for the formation and playstyle Fonseca wants to enforce and more than half of them are just not suited for that, or management brought the wrong coach because his playstyle doesn’t match the players we have. Or management doesn’t have the clear idea or a plan of what they want and club, coach and players are victims of their incompetence.
There may be a pattern there, but I’m just not seeing it.
Yes we are. And I don’t like being a victim. It makes me angry.
We should be building on what was built before yet all we do is go in circles since redbird took over.
Another thing I don’t like. Stagnation.
I say it’s the third. Our buying strategy resembles more an opportunistic one rather than a targeted one. In other words, we get the players who represents the best opportunity available on the market without a focus on what is Milan’s playing style and scheme.
In summer 2023, we brought a bunch of mezzalas for a 4-3-3 but no CDM which was crucial for that. We ended up using Krunic as our deepest midfielder than selling him because he couldn’t do it (surprise, surpise,…) and reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 but this time around with no CAM and double pivots.
Most Milan players are better suited for a press+counter or low block+counter style, yet we brought a coach who uses possession and 4-2-3-1. You’d think we’d bring possession type of players in 2024 and players suited for a 4-2-3-1 but nope, still no CAM, a striker who played all his career in teams who play with a low-block, a player who is working hard to become a DM, a left footed CB who can’t distinguish friend from foe and Royal.
Why is he stubborn?
Why do we need to constantly rotate?
Why are modern footballers the least fit sportspeople on the planet?
Not constantly..tactically. comprende?
And why are you so obsessed with comparing football to sports that have no common points with it ? Why are you obssessed with using as few players as possible (or I should say impossible) ?
Where were you since 2020 ? Didn’t you witness the sheer horror of having players from every positions being injured ? Don’t you remember us having to rely on Theo as a freaking center back ? Do you think the solution to all of these problems is to keep starting the same players 3 games per week ?
I think the lack of rotation is a bit of a testimony of the lack of depth this team currently has. We have to admit, most of our non-starting players are more like a liability rather than assests to be used. So also have to remember that Bennacer and Florenzi are injured, Adli and Pobega no longer here and that Jovic wasn’t registered in Europe, so in reality our options for rotation are more limited than we think.
We also have to admit that since the last international break, we were a bit pinned against the wall and it wasn’t really the time to try and rotate since we had to deal with Liverpool, Inter, Leverkusen and we still have to deal with La Viola.
Nevertheless, it seems that Fonseca has, perhaps to quickly, decided that some players are just not good enough to be given some minutes. Also for a coach who was known to rely on youngsters, he certaintly didn’t make a lot of use of our Futuro players and primavera players.
I hope that for the next games, we will see Vos, Liberalli, Camarda and Zerolli enjoying more minutes.
He wouldn’t have saved his job with those
He needs more time for his system to be widely understood( even some first team players don’t understand yet) before integrating the younger players more
Or we just don’t need to rotate that much?
What does Djokovic do if he needs a rest?
What do you do if Theo, Pulisic or Fofana are injured ?
I’ll wait for your response
First of all that’s a one player sport and secondly Djokovic ain’t running a 10k every other day. Not saying tennis isn’t gruelling on the body but it’s two different sports. And out of all the sports I’ve played soccer is by far the worse on my body.
“As Gazzetta dello Sport write, the Rossoneri have used only 14 different starting players so far this season – for comparison, Inter have named 20 different starters, City 20, and Napoli 22.”
Italian isn’t my native tongue but I think the GDS article talks about Milan using only 14 starters since the International break, not only 14 starters so far this season.
Maignan, Calabria, Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Thiaw, Tomori, Theo, Terraciano, Saelemaekers, RLC, Reijndeers, Fofana, Musah, Bennacer, Pulisic, Chukwueze, Leao, Okafor, Morata, Abraham, Jovic have all been starters so far this season. That’s more than 14 players.
Before the break the complaint was Fonseca is changing the starting 11 too much, not the complaint is he doesn’t change it. Some want just to complain.
One of the most annoying things about Pioli was his insane rotations.
Fonseca is a vast improvement on that.
Mr Fonseca is a big fool for not winning two matches from the champions league he is mad he is very stupid for not knowing that Acmilan problem is not defense he is so stupid for not knowing that Acmilan problem is nothing but attacking midfield and Acmilan are more deadly and penetrative with attacking midfield what stop Fonseca from promoting liberali, Chaka Traore and vos this are the players Acmilan need to achieve champions league that’s why we find it difficult to win tough matches Loftus cheek is not Good at all then you said your formation is 4-2-3-1 Good but we’re is the attacking midfield were is liberali and Chaka to play attacking midfield Very well and make it compactive remember Juventus are playing 4-2-3-1 like us go and see their records against Leipzig they won why because they have about two attacking midfield like Luiz and koopimeners now if Acmilan meet Leipzig I tell you for sure they will destroy us with much time wasting and Fonseca Said his a coach let him get out him and Pioli no difference let him see other coach of his kind like pep Guardiola of course pep can’t use player that cannot deliver he will bench you but in Acmilan is a different senerio that’s why we always get a poor results .
For Kelechi and others who see the young talent in the family as the current solution, please keep in mind that Milan Futuro is struggling to win games in Serie C. The youngsters are not ready for Serie A yet.
What probably matters most are results. But my guess is too that he didn’t have a preseason with some of the starters in the team so the first few games were like the preseason with the full team 🤷♂️
It is just start of the season.
Fonseca did use Chukwueze Saelemaekers Pavlovic Musah in the beginning and the result was disaster.
Now he found players who can play What Milan needs and it takes some time for first team members to get full knowledge on the pitch.
Probably even for Fiorentina he will swap some players but after next game there is a national competing break. So rotation will be necessary after national break finish…and definitely not now.