The AC Milan squad have responded well to the new ideas that Paulo Fonseca has brought and there is a ‘new motivation’ in the squad after things perhaps went a bit stale under Stefano Pioli.
All eyes are on Fonseca and the Milan team as the preparations for the new season continue. While the new coach waits for the internationals to return, there was a clear improvement seen from the Rapid Wien friendly to the one against Manchester City on Saturday night in New York.
Lorenzo Colombo’s brace and Marco Nasti’s winner secured a 3-2 victory against a team that are obviously of a high level even with big players missing, but above all there encouraging signs were in the overall play.
The Rossoneri were often accused of lacking direction and balance last season under Pioli, and it seems as though the players have responded well to the new ideas presented to them.
Pietro Mazzara published his weekly column for MilanNews and provided some insight on what is emerging from the Milan camp as their preseason tour of the United States continues.
“Premise: it’s summer football, but the victory over Manchester City last night at the Yankees Stadium in New York was a good signal from Milan. Because let’s face it, everyone was ready to shoot from the hip in the event of a possible defeat of the Rossoneri against City,” he began.
“That wasn’t the case and a victory against a team of that calibre must always be taken and brought home. Just look at Guardiola’s reaction to Colombo’s 1-2 goals and Nasti’s final 2-3 to understand how focused Pep was on this match.
“But there was also the right attention on the other side, with Fonseca who is giving clear guidelines, both on the pitch and in terms of communication. The Portuguese is not fooling anyone, he said things like a Milan coach, also taking good care of the tone with which he spoke about his tactical ideas and ambitions for the 2024-25 season.
“He knows there is a lot of work to do, perhaps he will have some gifts during this week regarding the transfer window, but one thing is certain: winning against City had a sweet taste, but one that must not become accustomed to.
“Real Madrid and Barcelona will be two more important tests, where we will have to see a general progression in the coach’s playing ideas, both with the ball at their feet and when other team have it. The defensive phase, unfortunately, is still unstable, especially due to incorrect individual readings that have been paid dearly.
“It is right to keep our feet on the ground, because summer football can be fascinating and make us see things different from reality, but the silence surrounding Fonseca’s work is something that does not jar.
“From the little information that filters through, also thanks to the words of the protagonists, there is a renewed motivation on the part of all the players, who evidently needed new stimuli after the last few months of getting used to it under Pioli’s guidance.
“Human symptoms, but which also make us understand how the players need to believe in something new and effective in order to continue to perform at their best. We will see if even with the full squad there will be this growth on the pitch, also because a lot depends on the next market moves.”