AC Milan have decided that Paulo Fonseca is the man that they want to be their next head coach, and beyond the positives and negatives of the appointment there is the need to show him support.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Milan were consistent because they never deviated too much from the initial identikit, one that led them to Julen Lopetegui before they turned away: they want a coach who is good with young players, can work with the management and has an attacking style.
In recent weeks the Milan fans have realized that the coach of their dreams would not arrive as names like Antonio Conte, Sergio Conceiçao and others vanished from the list. A more significant name was expected by many, a statement of ambition.
That’s not to say that Fonseca will not ask for players suited to his idea of play because he certainly will, but he will not put the club in difficulty during the first press conference, as certain big names in the dugout often do.
He has a fair amount of international experience with Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Lille, and above all knowledge of the league having coached Roma for two seasons before Jose Mourinho’s arrival.
Even in the capital he was greeted by a certain scepticism, yet his Roma played good football and – despite missing the Champions League places in his two-year period – reached the semi-final of the Europa League (eliminated by Manchester United), with a squad significantly inferior to the ones Mourinho had.
If the Stadio Olimpico and the Roma environment are certainly not easy, San Siro and the Milan one are even less so due to the expectations of the fans and the counterweight of Inter. Will Fonseca have the broad shoulders and personality to withstand any critical phases?
If they were looking for a coach who could carry the club on his shoulders, then the choice seems misguided, but if the club is able to support him strongly in the mercato and in his daily work, then it could also prove to be the right one.
More than the coach, whose good but so far not exceptional qualities are known, it is the club that will have to make an important leap in quality from all points of view. To paraphrase Spalletti: ‘Strong society, strong destiny’.
Today it is the structure of the club, even more than the financial means available, that leaves many doubts. From the choice of coach, after having explored many, to the doubts about the centre forward, to an unclear decision-making chain.
Who knows, maybe the Furlani-Moncada-Ibra trio will surprise us and perhaps Fonseca will do the same but today Pioli will say goodbye, and he will be a hard act to follow given that a top four spot had become the minimum.
Yep, gotta agree that the success of RedBird’s vision revolves around the efficiency of El Tri above. I still think we need to come back to having a Sporting Director with a vision.
No, beacause Cardinale is biase against Italian competent SD, this why he leaves us in the hand of Moncada-Furlani-Ottavio-Ibra
“we need to come back to having a Sporting Director with a vision.”
I think it’s more important that it needs to be clear for everyone who are making the shots in the club and trust the people who have been hired to do certain things. If Zlatan is Cardinale’s (alleged) right hand, then why can’t he make any decisions? Zlatan wanted Conte. Didn’t get him. I bet Zlatan is the most ambitious one in the management but all the choices and decisions are been discussed weeks and weeks.
Let’s see if Milan management can agree on anything before the mercato closes. I am genuinely afraid/worried that at the end of the summer we have not strengthened our team but sold one or two key players without replacing them (only some 20-year-olds from Ligue 1) and we’re still lacking the number 9 one week before the mercato closes and then we’ll probably call Lazetic back and let him and Origi lead the way.
If management gives Fonseca QUALITY players like a Quality CB, CF, DM and RB then Fonseca will do great things. He’s more tactically astute than Pioli and he is also comfortable with playing a back 3 as shown at Roma when he changed formation to a back 3 giving Spinazzola more freedom and beating Juventus 3-1.
Theo, Leao, and Pulisic will do well under Fonseca. I doubt he will use RLC as AM. It will most like be Pulisic or Reijnders playing AM.
RLC and a new DM in the double pivot. Fonseca also likes attacking wingbacks like Theo. So Calabria and Florenzi will not be starters next season.
Fonseca will want a player on the Right similar to Theo.
Yes yes they will give him half a squad. Half of squad of unproven players that’s what you gonna get. I just don’t get it how delusional most of us are thinking we gonna go for something more than a top 4 finish . Good that Serie A is 5 teams in CL
I’m sure Fonseca understands the RedBird model and that he will have to work with young talent to develop them.
If this appointment is about the strategy and vision undertaken by management then we need to give them a chance…however there were some mental/psychological weaknesses for all to see in the team…which necessitates a different path on the part of management, i.e a Conte or Sarri to bring back that sparkle and grit, that fight that was so lacking this season. The gap between us and Inter is so vast that we cannot afford another wasted season. And I am sure that Atalanta, Napoli, Lazio will wake up from their slumber this season. So my expectation would have been a Milan with more certainties and a clear path to reconstruction of the team. This appointment seems like another experiment based on a more amenable personality…definitely not what we need right now.
Have you seen Zoro? Old Zoro gave young Zoro discipline. Our Zoro give us aids