Journalist Pietro Mazzara has claimed that the early part of the 2024-25 season for AC Milan has a familiar feel, casting his mind back 15 years.
There was hope and anticipation heading into Saturday’s game against a struggling Cagliari team that Milan would build on the 3-1 victory against Real Madrid and generate some momentum going into the break.
However, instead the usual flaws emerged. The defence which was so attentive and organised against Los Blancos completely evaporated as the Sardinian outfit scored three times in a 3-3 draw, having only scored nine in 11 games prior.
The Rossoneri are on the outside looking in when it comes to the title race given they are eight points back (with a game in hand), and Paulo Fonseca will to do some introspection over the break given fluctuating performance levels.
Mazzara published his weekly column for MilanNews in which he spoke about the inconsistency that Milan have shown already, comparing it with a campaign from a decade and a half ago.
“This league and this season, in general, seem to me to have already seen them in the past of Milan. There are many similarities with the 2009-10 season with Leonardo on the bench in terms of attitude and results,” he began.
“Yet that Milan, wounded by the inevitable sale of Kakà to Real Madrid, was more entertaining than this one, with the same inability to have continuity in crucial moments and an extremely permeable defence. All elements that are the result of an unbalanced lineup on the pitch.
“It is no coincidence that in Madrid we did not concede goals from open play, that Vinicius and Mbappé had difficulty getting into space just as Bellingham never found the right position. Because with the 4-3-3 all the elements of the squad feel more at ease and this team, although incomplete in terms of quality and numbers in many pieces of the second lines, is built for that module.
“And in January it will be necessary to intervene on the market to get a midfielder and a real left back, given that the ‘deputy to Theo’ Alex Jimenez is not at all ready for that role.”
Leonardo played beautiful and all in attacking football with his hybrid 334 but at the same time pretty ineffective and with lots of goals conceded. Pretty much like Zdenek Zeman. But at least he knew what he wants to play.
Fonzy doesn’t know what he’s playing.
Wasn’t his formation the 4-2-fantasy? Lol 😂 I recall poor Ambro having to do mostly all the defensive work. It was more like 4-1-fantasy
fonseca is a clueless manager
At this stage in 09-10, after 12 rounds we sat third on 22 points, scored 14 (vastly less), conceded 12 and were 7 points from Inter at the top. Just like that season we were far, far away from being close to Scudetto ambitions and flirted with not qualifying for the UCL. But we did beat Real at the Bernabeu 3-2.
We finished 4th, and that looks like it’s going to be the best we can do this season too.
Let us be honest with our selfs
We can’t qualify for Europe next season
Out management forgot that the road to champions and Europa League is our domestic league,
They want to play attacking football ball and they want to beat all the teams in Europe and they never think about how to win matches in serie A
Sincerely speaking, Milan suppose to give Coach Stefano Poili a chance at leasts,likewise Paolo Maldini as the Sporting Director…
Nevertheless, let’s see what is going to happen, by February/March,2025…