GdS: ‘The non dominant game’ – five urgent problems Fonseca must solve

AC Milan are in a difficult position, and the faith in Paulo Fonseca’s ability to turn things round is falling. However, this scenario has already played out once before, and he managed to gain a boost. 

When Fonseca arrived in the summer, he promised to deliver a ‘dominant’ Milan to the fans, and so far, this has been seen rarely. In games against Venezia and Lecce, where the expectation is to dominate, the Rossoneri did. However, this has not always been the case.

Against Toro and Parma, performances were shaky, and ignoring the Inter game – which quickly is becoming a phenomenon rather than the regular – this has mirrored in ‘bigger games’ as well.

As a result, Gazzetta dello Sport writes that there are five urgent problems to solve. Generally, the start has been ‘complicated’, and so far, the promises have not been delivered. Starting with the ‘dominant’ Milan, there have been few signs, except from rare spells.

Issues can be found in each game, and even in successes, the Rossoneri have been questionable, which is a worrying sign, and whilst Fonseca believes in himself and the squad, can they actually turn things around and become a ‘dominant’ side?

Following this, we have the issue of fatigue, at least up front. Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Morata have given everything so far, and they deserve credit for that, but they are not providing the numbers that matter the most – goals. As a whole, play is better with a two-striker system, but there are problems with the two up top.

From front to the back, there are a ‘string of defensive catastrophes’, which are hurting the Diavolo massively. Mental issues, individual errors, and a collective understanding are causing the damage, and trying to ‘seal’ Milan is like ‘trying to catch water with a goal’. Nearly, if not, impossible.

Perhaps the biggest issue is the immaturity of the squad. Fonseca’s management has highlighted the mental issues within the squad, and some leaders have already shown problematic signs. Theo Hernandez’s behaviour has been questioned, as has Rafael Leao’s, and with Fonseca persisting with the ‘multi-captain’ idea, this once again creates problems.

Finally, we revisit the fatigue problem, albeit this time the question of depth arises. Fonseca’s lack of rotation has been scrutinised already, and when he is forced to make changes, there are not always direct solutions – as shown with Hernandez’s absence. It can be argued that this is out of his hands, though, but whether he can find a solution before it is too late remains to be seen.