They say defences win championships, but that old cliche certainly rings true. Nine of the past 10 Serie A winners have held the best defensive record – including Stefano Pioli’s Milan in 2021-22, conceding 31 goals.
During that historic run, a back five consisting of Mike Maignan, Davide Calabria, Theo Hernandez Fikayo Tomori, and Pierre Kalulu held the spine together, especially the central partnership of the latter two – performing as if they were in their late 20s and peaking at their prime.
In terms of personnel, nothing has changed considerably, with 80 per cent of those names featuring in Milan’s 2-2 draw against Torino to open the new season. However, the ability to defend as a unit has changed.
On the weekend, similar comparisons could be drawn to Pioli’s failings during his final stretch. Gaping holes in transition, a disjointed press, second best in the 50-50 battles, and lacklustre movement scattered all over the pitch.
But this should not come as a shock to the system. Milan’s defence hit crisis point ever since the final few games of the 2022-23 campaign when they looked like a deer in headlights, scrambling to make up for their previous mistakes which compounded one after the other.
Paulo Fonseca’s philosophy is an attacking one. We all know that. The former Shakhtar Donetsk and Lille boss confirmed this during his press conference on the eve of the Torino fixture.
“I think Milan is a club with a history of having offensive football. To win, we must be a dominant team: this is what I want to build here,” Fonseca said.
“A courageous, dominant, offensive, reactive team, one that does not let other teams think and play. But above all, I want to win. The quality of the game is important to me. I want to build a team that makes fans proud, with a strong identity.”
It was never going to be a quick fix, and any supporter who thought otherwise was simply unrealistic.
The summer signings to strengthen the backline, however, have been far from convincing for a squad desperate for established quality.
Stahinja Pavlović has been highly regarded as a prospect with an abundance of potential at the age of 23. His time will undoubtedly arrive when the time is right, and that moment might be around the corner given Malik Thiaw’s continual dip in form.
At right-back, Emerson Royal was selected as the perfect fit for Fonseca’s style of football blessed with an attacking IQ and demanding physical presence. Yet, the Brazilian appeared in 22 games for Tottenham in the Premier League last season, contributing one goal, zero assists, and four yellow cards. Again, it seems Milan is scraping the barrel.
Tomori and Hernandez are the two logical names that Fonseca’s project should be built around, as they have proven valuable in different facets of the game whether it be their pace, dynamism, or playing out from the back. That does not exclude them from being part of the defensive deficiencies though.
With Kalulu now having touched down in Turin to sign with Juventus, Simon Kjaer retiring, and Thiaw’s uninspiring showings as previously stated, there is now something missing in the central defensive area more than ever before. It almost feels like an empty void is waiting to be permeated.
But for a team that suffered the 11th worst defensive record in Serie A last season, will those signings significantly improve the calibre and depth? It is a massive question mark.
City rivals Inter have reached a stage where they can nit-pick and choose tiny pieces to keep Inzaghi’s squad flowing. Milan, unfortunately, are miles behind.
This was a real opportunity for Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimović to stamp their authority and make a statement signing that would guarantee improvement and tighten a seriously leaky defensive line.
“Gerry wants us to spend more, but I say no. We must only spend what is needed to strengthen the team,” Ibrahimović admitted during Emerson’s presentation unveil.
If those words come back to bite the Swede at season’s end, he can expect nothing other than to receive stern criticism from those who believe Milan has been extremely underwhelming on the transfer front since the golden era of Silvio Berlusconi.
Nonetheless, Fonseca has been dealt his cards, but can the ‘Mask of Zorro’ produce a hero’s performance and transform a deteriorating defence?