Fonseca starts the starters! MILAN WINS! Game put to bed by halftime!
That’s a nice lead, huh? For years in games like this we have cried START THE STARTERS from the rooftops…and for years we got backups. Loads of backups. We would start flat and disjointed. Then the starters would come on late to try and rescue games. Longtime readers know we hated that approach by Pioli. It became tiresome. So for this game Fonseca put out the studs and the studs went to work. Pure class the entire first half and when the dam broke it was 3-0 by halftime. Nice to see a player at each level (Morata, Pulisic, Theo) get a goal and more importantly see everyone get involved. Leão a sassy assist. Fofana was everywhere. Poor Tammy did everything BUT score. CBs put in a shift. Even RLC played well when he came on. No complaints.
I think a lot of the good play and confidence we are seeing comes down to the switch in tactics and formation. I’ll explain.
Going with a 442 or any variation thereof is always the go-to plan for coaches looking to simplify things. Just about every kid has played 442 at some point in their youth career. The roles are simple and clear. There’s not much interchange between spots. You cover your area and you almost always know who’s in front of you, behind you and next to you. Just about any 11 guys can go out and play 442 and organize quickly. It’s soccer 101 for these guys.
The other thing Fonseca did was just get his best 11 players on the field together. You get an attack of Leão, Tammy, Morata and Captain America out there and good things are gonna happen. Both Tammy and Morata are masters of hold up play and creation. Perfect for a distributor like Reijnders to operate under. Leão and Pulisic can do almost anything from the wings. Dribble, pass, cross, create, take guys 1v1…you name it and they can do it. Mix in a bulldog like Fofana and that’s a dangerous combination. That group is a threat against the best of teams and should always be too much for a smaller side like Lecce to deal with.
Sounds simple right? Everyone gets caught up in all kinds of crazy formations and game plans. Sometimes the best thing to do as a coach is to take a step back and simplify. Now we got something to build on.
What Happened in Serie A
First things first…Nonno nailed 8 of 10 results this week in the Whip Around PLUS that dusty old fart also nailed some tasty side bets and parlays. Nonno is starting to put some things we have learned into action and now we are getting on a roll!
After wins by Milan, Inter, Juve AND Napoli this week the top 4 is starting to look pretty familiar. It’s NAPOLI, JUVE, MILAN, AND INTER! All 4 had winnable games and took care of business by a combined score of 11-2 with only Inter conceding. At this point I would bet on this being the top 4 the rest of the year. This is the class of the league.
Early leaders Torino fell to Inter and Udinese have now dropped 2 in a row. I don’t think either are falling apart, they just have both run into teams that are a little above their pay grade is all. I don’t expect either to tumble down the table the way Frosinone did last year. Both can certainly score but there is work to be done tightening up the back end. A loose back end isn’t good for ANYONE.
Bologna, Fiorentina, and Atalanta are all struggling with fixture pile ups right now. It’s gonna take time but I expect all of them to circle the wagons before fading too far.
Juric with 2 wins to start his time at Roma? You know that has Nonno smiling. It was mind blowing that guy didn’t get a job this summer. Home run choice by Roma’s management. Letting club legends go isn’t easy but it needed done. You know what the best way to get around that is? Don’t hire a former club legend with almost zero coaching experience!
Bottom of the table is looking more familiar as well. Cagliari with a much needed win today, Genoa struggling after selling some pieces. Nesta’s Monza is still Monza and Monza gonna Monza, in this case meaning slow out the gates. It’s what they do.
Now, ratings…
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 7.5 – Finally a clean sheet. you remember what those are right? Though there were no shots on target Maignan still had plenty to do to stay on his toes.
Goal Keeping Overall 7.5
Defense
ROYAL 7 – Slowly getting better. Defending still scares me. I like the speed but sometimes he’s too fast if that makes sense. Gets himself twisted and out of position too easily at times.
GABBIA & TOMORI 8 – The more Gabbia plays the more we are gonna wonder why the club was so hell bent to replace him all summer. A rock back there. Loved the movement by the backline in this game. They were more connected and moved as one. A far cry from their first couple games when we were so disjointed and keeping everyone onside. Great leadership by these two.
HERNÁNDEZ 9 MOTM – Goal and an assist. Probably created at least 2-3 more chances that could have gone in. It’s hard to stop Theo when he plays like that.
Defense Overall 8
Midfield
PULISIC 8.5 – The only player in Serie A to have 20 goals and 10 assists since the start of last year. Our best and most consistent player. PERIOD.
REIJNDERS 7.5– Like Pirlo back in the day, YEAH I SAID IT, he just has to be the metronome between all these attacking talents. Pulled the strings perfectly. The crazy stats won’t be there but we will see it night in and night out. Some grit too.
FOFANA 7 – Finally we have our sequel to Kessie…
LEÃO 8 – Like Tammy kept flirting with a goal but couldn’t quite get there. Some nice passing and playmaking though. I wonder if his grumpiness earlier in the year wasn’t about Fonseca possibly asking him to take on more of a playmaker role? If so, he’s gotten over it and has looked great these last 2 games.
Midfield Overall 8
Forwards
MORATA 8 – Excellent stuff from him. Love how he’s always checking into the play. He doesn’t just wait for the ball to come to him. He goes to it and isn’t afraid to run through a defender to get there. That challenge that leads to the Pulisic goal? That’s striker 101 shit right there.
ABRAHAM 8 -Tried like crazy to get a goal all night. Kept working even though it didn’t happen. Also love that his teammates kept feeding him. My favorite moment though? The celebration after the Pulisic goal. I can’t remember the last time we brought in a guy that looked THIS happy to be here. Being at Roma under Mourinho and DDR must have SUUUUUUUUUCKED.
Forwards Overall 8
Subs
LOFTUS-CHEEK 7.5 – Could have had a goal and an assist on a better day. Nice to see him join in the attack.
MUSAH 6 – Did well as the vice Fofana. More than anything just happy to see he has a defined role this year.
CHUKWUEZE 7 – Good movement and passing from him. Like what we are seeing from him tucked in and more connected. Not so isolated out wide.
BARTESAGHI NA – Unfortunate red. Sloppy tackle probably should have been a yellow. Oh well.
JOVIC NA – He played
Subs Overall 6.3
Coaching
FONSECA 9 – As mentioned above this is really addition by subtraction. Subtract out all the nonsense and add in some simplicity for a really talented group. Also love that after a great Inter win he let the guys keep things rolling. That kind of momentum is key for a new boss working in some new players and ideas. A master stroke in squad building and keeping the group in good form.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for listening to Nonno ramble for a bit.
Champions League tomorrow.
Forza Milan
Lisi
