GdS: Errors, missed chances and tactical misreadings – the headaches for Fonseca to solve

In partnership with

SempreMilan

·22 August 2024

GdS: Errors, missed chances and tactical misreadings – the headaches for Fonseca to solve

After a preseason that could hardly have gone more according to plan, a report has written how Paulo Fonseca’s first competitive game as AC Milan boss was a grounding experience.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Fonseca discovered that the ‘Milan planet’ is welcoming but certainly not easy to live on, as Saturday’s game against Torino showed when San Siro fell silent after his side went 2-0 down. They talk about the ‘headaches’ he has to solve.

OneFootball Videos

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said something interesting that afternoon while presenting Youssouf Fofana: “The four purchases were already objectives even before choosing the coach.” He essentially implied that the coach is not at the centre of all the decisions, and the project doesn’t revolve around him.

In the evening, the team appeared with old defects. There were individual errors from players, difficulties in finding a way through against a deep and compact defence, and too many opportunities conceded in transition.

Fonseca knew he had a lot to do to translate the Milan of his imagination onto the field. In the summer he worked to change Milan and he said it clearly: “It will be a different team. Not better or worse, different.”

New signings and tactical approach

The Portuguese coach approved the four signings and is probably happy that Alvaro Morata arrived up front, not Joshua Zirkzee, because of his way of understanding football and the need for leadership.

The rest, however, will be up to the work of the next few weeks, with four changes on the notepad. The first, in players: his XI has Strajinja Pavlovic at centre-back, Emerson Royal on the right, Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders in the middle, Morata up front.

The second change is in the tactical approach. Fonseca from the sidelines asked to attack, attack more often and with more force. Here the balance of Milan will be played: the objective is to increase the pressure without conceding opportunities.

It will be a question of mechanisms and individuals, and it is clear that Fofana will help with what he brings. It is also clear that Pavlovic and Tomori – much faster than Thiaw if they have to defend in the open field – will be vital resources.

Two further issues

The third turning point is in the attack. Leao wasted two chances against Torino, Pulisic one, Morata another. Fonseca can be optimistic – when a team creates, the coach smiles – but he needs his forwards to score goals to direct the games. Too often, under Stefano Pioli, Milan didn’t see off gams they should have.

The last step is perhaps the most difficult: increasing the ruthlessness, another old problem. For the first goal Sanabria and Zapata played the ball between themselves as Calabria and Tomori didn’t intervene, then the latter crossed for Bellanova without Saelemaekers noticing the danger.

The 0-2 came from Ilic and Lazaro on the left who won the two against two with Calabria and Saelemaekers, crossing for a wide open Zapata. The passivity of Reijnders, the error of Thiaw and Theo did the rest.

When Morata says ‘we need to commit more fouls, become a tougher team’ he is also referring to this: Milan cannot allow free circulation of the ball and opposing players in their half.