The decision of the AC Milan ownership and management to appoint Paulo Fonseca can already be put under the microscope, according to one journalist.
After Stefano Pioli departed as the head coach following the end of last season, the media began speculating who might be the new man in charge of Milan and there was a presumption that the club would turn to a more proven ‘winner’.
Nonetheless, Julen Lopetegui seemed very close to arriving but the fan reaction was that strong that the management seemed to perform a U-turn and he ended up at West Ham. Then, Fonseca became the main candidate and he eventually arrived having left Lille after two years.
Gianluca Di Marzio stated yesterday that the likes of Antonio Conte, Roberto De Zerbi, Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel were all evaluated by the Rossoneri hierarchy but none were deemed a good fit for the project, which in itself has raised some doubts.
Pietro Mazzara spoke in his weekly column for MilanNews and he had some strong comments about Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s impact (or lack thereof) so far as well as the decision to appoint Fonseca.
“The core business of a football club is not only the accounts, but above all the results on the field. The choice of Fonseca, who is in the same range as Pioli in absolute terms, has been wrong up to now,” he said.
“[I am] Hopeful that after the break Milan will change gear, but Liverpool and Inter – after Venezia – could be 180 decisive minutes for his position on the bench. And the strong feeling is that the gap from the Nerazzurri has widened a lot this summer, all also because a top coach was not chosen.
“It’s true, top profiles cost money, but they bring you many benefits. First of all, motivation and credibility towards the players, who are anything but idiots and know well how the world moves and what kind of coaches there are and were around. And they adapt accordingly.
“Conte, De Zerbi, Conceiçao, Xavi and Sarri were (and in some cases are) high-level profiles, who rightly have demands to arrive and win. Instead here it seems that they just want to participate. Don’t come and talk to us about second place, please. Second is the first among the losers.
“The square is in fibrillation, the jeers at the Olimpico are proof of this. Be careful to let the season end in September, because then the people get tired and San Siro risks emptying. Gerry, but is this the Milan you want? Because if this is it, then it’s not good at all.”