Paulo Fonseca’s time at AC Milan is very much still in its infancy, but the signs that are coming from Milanello are very positive as per a report.
La Gazzetta dello Sport open their piece by stating ‘Milanello has a new mayor’ and that, in the first votes, he has received great consensus. Fonseca has been working at the sports centre since last Monday and, after just over a week, it can be said: the Milan players like him.
The first impressions, behind the scenes, are very positive. Fonseca is convincing everyone with how he works and how he approached the team. Many big names are missing like Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, but those who have worked under him in recent days have been impressed.
Fonseca worked a lot with the ball in the first few training sessions and only stopped over the weekend. He tried to bring intensity, working a lot on passing and receiving the ball, on posture, on build-up, and the players are almost always happy when they get to play with the ball.
Some players speak (without being directly quoted) of clear ideas, transmitted by the Portuguese with clarity. The season is long but there are certainly smiles, despite Fonseca having called everyone to a series of double sessions, i.e. training in the morning and in the afternoon.
This week, with the exception of tomorrow, Milan will do double sessions every day. The players will start at Milanello in the morning and will be free only in the evening. As a side note, Milan Futuro are following the same training plan as the first team.
Fonseca is changing a lot, compared to the Pioli era. It’s not a question of being better or worse coaches, it’s a question of style and choices.
Milan will play a different kind of football, more possession and less transitions, they will pass the ball more, they will try to attack high, they will no longer defend man to man all over the pitch.
This will be a challenge especially for Leao, who excels in the spaces created by recovered balls and being in the open field. The first signs will come on Saturday at 17:30 in the friendly against Rapid Wien, then games against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona follow in the USA.
Make that meeting with city a chance to get alvarez. Send leao the other way. Put pulisic on the left with okafor and let chukuwueze have the right hand side
I second that. I’m open to selling Leao to be honest especially if we can get Chiesa and Alvarez.
I’m not confident Leao style of play will fit with the style Fonseca is looking for and it will take a lot for Leao to adapt but it can work if Leao is serious about adapting to Fonseca instead getting frustrated.
So I think it would be good to sell Leao. Get Alvarez and Chiesa and Milan will have a different style of play more suitable to Fonseca.
This is too much and too complicated for this 🤡 management.
Best they can do is easy deals like Morata and Fullkrug. Once there is another team interested they will act dead and keep watching the situation “closely” till one of the other teams get the player.
Some of you, when you’ve eaten and your stomachs are full, you come on here to write gibberish. Thank goodness that y’all don’t make the decisions at Milan. Sell Leao my foot! 🙄
If Milan is willing to sell leao, there are players out there, who believes can easily replace him, Summerville, Nico Williams, etc
Nico Williams is already a more complete player and would be my choice.
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth – isn’t that what Tyson said?
Need a friendly with Inter so their counterattacks can put us to the sword and Fonseca sees the flaws he has to address.
Pioli tried a half-@$$ press against Inter too with some players who did it and others who flopped at it, which Inter easily got out of with two-three passes forward…
I hope Fonseca has watched the games. First Derby is what? 5th match day?
The problem is going half way. You will know by who he puts on the field and how aggressive the front line is in winning the ball back in the first game…pulisic was the only one of the front 4 who showed effort and was effective defensively…