Paulo Fonseca has admitted himself that his AC Milan side are flawed in many different areas, and at the moment the mood around the club is so negative that it could be defined as toxic.
La Gazzetta dello Sport state that Milan ‘already seem to be at a dead end’ after just five games. In football the media always exaggerate but there is no doubting that Fonseca’s side are in a deep crisis in September, with the Curva Sud jeering and just one win on the board.
What exactly has gone wrong? The first problem is attitude, contrary to what Alvaro Morata said. In Europe, Milan’s home, the team warched Liverpool dominate and did not react. It’s ok to be beaten by a better team, but leadership must be shown and there must be some fight.
The build-up phase is another problem. At this level, to build out from the back with success consistently, you need quality central defenders or enough chemistry to be able to find countermeasures to the pressing, perhaps to attract it then beat it. Instead, Tomori and Pavlovic are awkward, while Fofana and Loftus-Cheek don’t look for the ball and rarely get free.
Fragility in the defensive phase is another issue. The data of 19 shots conceded in 70 minutes is impressive and Fonseca surrendered to the evidence in a critical post-match interview. Milan conceded chances all evening, as they have done in every other game bar Venezia, and they kept losing the ball in dangerous areas. Once again, there was a huge gap between defence and midfield.
A secondary issue within the aforementioned problem is set pieces: Milan continue to concede goals from corners and free-kicks. From the summer of 2022 to today, there have been 18 let in from dead balls. Inter in the same period are on 12 like Napoli, Juve on 13, Atalanta on 14, Real Madrid on 9.