AC Milan will announce Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach in the next 48 hours, bringing an end to a soap opera that feels like it has lasted for weeks.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (via PianetaMilan) report this morning that Fonseca will officially be announced on Thursday 13 June. He will be the one who will take Stefano Pioli’s place and will lead the team into a new era.
The Rossoneri’s choice has been clear for some time and Fonseca has been a leading candidate for the role since the day of Milan’s elimination from the Europa League at the hands of Roma. It was after that defeat that the leadership decided to move on from Pioli.
Fonseca was admired for what he has done with Lille in Ligue 1 and he jumped to the top of the list when the Julen Lopetegui idea disappeared amid a backdrop of fan discontent and protests on social media.
As mentioned, Fonseca is regarded to have done a good job over the last two years in France. Lille finished fourth in the table last season despite having the eighth-highest wage budget, something seen as a positive achievement.
The Portuguese will begin his experience as Milan coach at the beginning of July, with the raduno at Milanello, the first day of preseason. The first friendly match has been set for the 20th of the same month, in Vienna, against Rapid Wien.
LOL Milan finished second in Serie A with the fourth highest wage bill!
But it makes total sense to replace a manager who finished second in tougher league with a manager who finished fourth in an easier league.
Whatever.
I don’t care anymore.
I wish Fonseca all the best.
A change was needed. We couldn’t continue losing to Inter, Roma etc. with zero ideas how to defeat them. Or even avoid losing.
Also, they wanted trophies and got none. Not even close. The easiest thing to do is get a coach who understands tactics and makes players play better. Pioli had reached his limits and we all know how next season would have gone: trophyless.
Not everything (every change) has to be negative. This is one of those things that actually will be good for everyone.
change is good, but not all change is good. there have been instances where things have changed for worse. or change that has resulted in stagnation.
fronseca is someone who was signed for nothing more then being a yes man. not upgrade on a tactical level or anything like that.
Eh… we’re gonna keep losing to Inter with Fonseca. Next season is also going to be trophyless, aside from a potential super coppa Italiana.
I’m fine with Pioli going. It was frustrating to watch the team have no tactical plan of attack in organized attack.
But the coach isn’t on the field, the players are, and the players are largely exactly the same as before, in all but one key role. So, can Zirkzee carry the burden Giroud did? Probably. Can he alone improve everyone else to the point Milan are ok a par with Inter? Probably not. What else is changing? A right back? Hummels at CB? Woth all due to respect to Mays, adding a 35 year old central defender, even if we cloned Theo and out the clone on the right back, these teo guys aren’t bringing the level up over the summer.
I’m not suggesting we clean house like we did last year, but I think we’ll be very disappointed if we think Fonseca is gonna win the league I’d the CL with the squad. We’re still 19 points behind Inter, who are also adding new pieces to the puzzle.
We need the players we
I would say an upgrade was needed and Fonseca is definitely not an upgrade in any means over Pioli.
I was a fan of Fonseca’s Roma in his first season, he was actually able to play nice football and several players started to shine with him but still he was so disappointing against tougher teams then it was a total chaos in the second year when the relationship between several Roma players fall apart with Fonseca along with the team spirit and results.
Simone Inzaghi mopped the floor with Fonseca’s Roma by the way, just so you know what type of a “change” this is.
I wish Fonseca the best and to be able to play that beautiful football with Milan but I would be surprised if he does any better than Pioli.
I am still searching for the reason this management picked him and I am hopeful that his failure will push the sale of Milan to Saudi after Cardinal refused to sell last year
You can’t compare the players at Milan with the players at Lille. Milan have much much better players. Fonseca wasn’t the coach we want, but he’s a brilliant coach with a beautiful brand of football as his philosophy. With the players at Milan already and with the ones we’ll purchase, Fonseca will succeed. I’m very positive that he will.
Pioli will always be remembered, but it was time to move on.
the fans are disapointted at frenseca becasue he is statistically worse then pioli. you speak about lille but you havent mentioned roma.
you thinking but milan is better then roma, yes but for the standerds of a team like roma fronseca didnt show anything worth watching.
Pioli is what attracted me to Milan 4 years ago. I admire his calm demeanor, clear xonn action with his players and the Scudetto he brought with a team weaker than several others.
That said, this year while Pioli remained the same calm person, on the field we were disorganized bordering on frenetic. 433 to 4231, Musah in 6 positions sometimes 3 in the same game. Theo at CB instead of Simic. Invert, no no no, don’t invert. Giroud playing when clearly ineffective, discipline issues. A dozen different midfield combinations.
Maybe out of ideas. Maybe too clever by half. The result was a great deal of talent not meeting it’s potential.
I’m not so fussed about a lack of silverware. However we were out classes by Roma who were organized to win the games in front of them. We couldn’t compete with Inter this year. Not due to lack of talent, but lack of clear organization. Etc etc etc.
I’m sad a change happened. But no mistake, a change needed to happen.
I too wish Fonseca the best.
Forza Milan! Grazie Pioli.
MyKidPlayedSoccer, ALWAYS a pleasure to read your comments. The total opposite to the usual Flat-Earther level rants some people spill out every day. Your comments are analytic and make sense. Like now.
“I’m sad a change happened. But no mistake, a change needed to happen.
I too wish Fonseca the best.”
Exactly. It was necessary. And every Milan-fan should hope Fonseca does well. I’m not going to even bother explaining why. 😛
We have to See and wait
My favourite was Sarri.
I Hope that Fonseca will concetrete of bering Milan Coach and Not of being Supporten of Selensky!
History and curva Sud the best things of AC Milan!
who would you have preferred pioli to coach this new team or fonsesca ?
Fonseca is simply the very worst choice of all coaches Milan was linked to, some of them brilliant.
Whoever thinks that Fonseca is an upgrade is in for a rude awakening when we finish 6th and lose all derbies and all games against the teams that did upgrade their rosters and coaching staff.
Fonseca is a mediocre loser (his only “quality” that endeared him to Milan’s management is that he is a yes-man). He finished 5th and 7th in Serie A when he coached Roma, and 4th in Ligue 1 (which is a much weaker league than Serie A) and people somehow expect him to win trophies in Serie A? LOL.
So we’re replacing the guy who finished second twice and first once in the second best European league, with the guy who finished fourth in the fifth best European league. Thanks, management! That was a great move! (Not!!!)
Fonseca is a lateral move for reasons we don’t understand. But I’d be curious to see how he does with better players.