The big talking point of the season so far has been Rafael Leao’s reported problems with the AC Milan head coach Paulo Fonseca, but it is not the coach’s first rodeo.
When Fonseca arrived in the summer, his first priority was to assure Leao of his centrality to his plans. Since then, his centrality has all but gone. Leao started this weekend’s fixture on the bench once again, and whilst there are plans to bring him back against Real Madrid, fears are growing.
For Leao, he has been on the bench before, and there will be times when he is again. However, the consistency of the decisions partnered with reports of a broken relationship suggests a deeper problem. A problem which has already played out.
As Milan News write, the Portuguese coach has ‘turned against’ the star, with the pair not on the same wavelength. This is a situation that Fonseca experienced with Edin Dzeko – who had public disagreements with the coach – and ended with the Bosnian heading to Inter.
In both case studies, the story is the same. The ‘champion vs. the coach’. At Roma, Fonseca experienced similar support to that which is being given by Milan’s management, and Dzeko departed unhappy at his situation.
As we know, Leao is heading in a similar path, with the report suggesting that the ‘mistake is always there’ with Fonseca’s man management of the stars.