With missing players…arguably Milan’s best four…I know I had a somewhat restrained expectation here but I also thought Milan had enough to grab at least a point. But Fonseca decided the tough road was the one he wanted to travel. Let’s discuss.
Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. Pavlovic and Thiaw were sleeping on the first goal (Pavlovic more than Thiaw as Lukaku was closest to him) and I don’t know why guys decide to go to the ground so easy on a breakaway like that. I mean, maybe Lukaku got more of Pavlovic’s back than his shoulder on the challenge but when you’re the last guy standing you can’t just assume you’re going to get that call. This is now two VERY obvious and bad goals almost entirely on Pavlovic (the other vs Liverpool) and they’re the type of mistake that are out in the open and easy to discern and that gets guys in the coach’s doghouse.
The other goal, where Kvaratskhelia…wait for it…went to his right, was a mental lapse by at least 2 different Milan players (Royal and Fofana). If Calabria can execute the very simple premise of don’t let Kvaratskhelia go right, then there was no reason these guys couldn’t do the same. Embarrassing.
The bigger issue and bigger takeaway is Fonseca’s coaching decisions, specifically benching his star players…and even more specifically, Rafael Leão. I’ve been very open about my support of Pioli and disagreed with his firing AND I feel I’ve been open to the Fonseca coaching era at Milan. In fact, I find many of his coaching characteristics interesting and favorable in many ways (for example, I like the tactical flexibility he’s shown). With the additional depth Milan acquired this past summer…and even despite some dumb moves like moving Kalulu out, I still saw enough to predict another Scudetto this season!
But what I noticed and said back when he first sat Leão against Lazio still holds. Not only is he jeopardizing the outcome of the game(s) he’s doing this in, he’s jeopardizing how the team views and respects him. Every player on the team knows Leão is the star, that he’s the most talented guy there and when he’s on the pitch he gives them the best chance to win and win on a regular basis. They know players need off days and days where they don’t start so they can recover, that’s not what this is about. But a willful benching of a rested Leão?…and failing to take home points…again…after doing it the first time…and then again…and then again…
These are unforced errors and it’s unacceptable and it’s bush league. Gerry needs to lay down the law and/or fire him if he does it again. In a year where Serie A stumbled out of the gates and provided a new coach some cover as he implemented his philosophy and tactics on a new team, is simply going to waste. I generally like to give new coaches time but again, these unforced errors of benching Leão even when the results are not coming, on top of starting to get a large enough sample size to know if the light is going to turn on, is pushing me towards a #FonsecaOut position.
Even a win vs Monza this weekend needs to happen with Leão starting and out on the pitch, otherwise the victory will be shortlived. There is no season-long success story here without Leão playing a vital part. The sooner Fonseca realizes this, the better.
What Happened in Serie A
Napoli beat the depleted and shooting themselves in the foot Milan to remain at the top of the table. They have a tough schedule for the next month and I’m curious to see where they are after that.
Inter (2nd) has continued to bounce back and show some life after losing the derby, beating Empoli 3-0 after drawing Juve 4-4 in a fun back-and-forth game over the weekend. Atalanta (3rd) continue to rise after a slow start, beating Monza 2-0. Juve (6th), who you know I wasn’t sold on, fought back and salvaged a point over the weekend in that draw to Inter, only to have a letdown by drawing 2-2 with a struggling Parma. I’m feeling pretty good about calling this one right about Juve.
Fiorentina continued their hot streak in a hard fought win over Genoa and are currently sitting 4th in the table. Palladino-magic seems to be working. Lazio also won, beating Como, and are in 5th but tied on points with Fiorentina. Roma beat Torino in Juric’s first game against his former squad, helping Roma break into the top 10 for the first time this season (just barely…they’re 10th). Bologna won, beating Cagliari 2-0 and earning just their second win of the season. It’s been draw-city for them this season as they are now 2-6-1.
At the bottom of the table, Venezia and Lecce got big wins but still sit in the relegation zone. Still, anything helps.
One last thing to note: this won’t be new to us Milan fans but Serie A has been handing out red cards like candy (*drumroll – snare hit*…because it’s Halloween…eh?). I didn’t do any exhaustive search but here are the counts for the last 4 rounds:
Bundesliga: 8 out of 36 games (9 total cards)
EPL: 7 out of 40 games (8 total cards)
La Liga: 10 out of 40 games (11 total cards)
Ligue 1: 11 out of 40 games (13 total cards)
Serie A: 13 out of 40 games (15 total cards)
We need to have a longer talk about this as I have some thoughts, but maybe this can be a international break post. Anyway, wanted you all thinking about it in the meantime.
Now, ratings…
Player Ratings
Goal Keeping
MAIGNAN 5.5 – Not his fault on the first goal but truth be told, I kind of expected him to stop it with him being Magic Mike and all. The second goal was completely on him as he appeared to struggle finding the ball and then determining its trajectory
Goal Keeping Overall 5.5
Defense
ROYAL 3 – Can’t let Kvaratskhelia go right. Kiddie stuff
THIAW 6 – Meh
PAVLOVIC 5 – Dude. You got talent. But these f**k ups are BAD and we’re not going to end up seeing you again until the dying minutes of a decided Coppa game if you don’t knock it off
TERRACCIANO 6 – His score is this high because he’s not being asked to do much, and what he is being asked to do he’s generally doing
Defense Overall 5
Midfield
FOFANA 5 – You gotta step up and turn Kvaratskhelia left on that play and you didn’t. Also, it’s becoming apparent we probably don’t want you shooting…yikes
MUSAH 7 – Best player on the pitch for Milan. Yes, he lacked that final touch but made some great plays and looked to be the only one playing on that extra gear. Needs more playing time
Midfield Overall 6
Forwards
CHUKWUEZE 6.5 – Solid game. Had some great crosses that couldn’t find anyone but not for lack of trying
RLC 5 – Invisible for chunks. Wasteful for chunks. Did get his 3rd shot on goal this season…in his 11th game…in 725 minutes…so…yay?
OKAFOR 6 – What has happened to his shooting boots? My god. They’re even making Bonaventura cringe
MORATA 6 – Not a bad game and almost got Milan back into it to start the 2nd half but was just offside
Forwards Overall 5.8
Subs
PULISIC 6 – Reports he was under the weather. Looked ok, like his nonverbals, but was clearly off and not locked in like he’s been all season
LEÃO 6.5 – Immediately showed why he needs to play when he entered. And miss me with that, he doesn’t track back nonsense. That’s not why he’s out there
CAMARDA NA – He played
Subs Overall 6.2
Coaching
FONSECA 3 – This sh*t is getting old. I don’t know what he’s hoping to accomplish by benching Leão. He’s going to do it my way into a pink slip.
Moreover, how does he expect to ever coach one of the top teams in Europe, like one of the big ones with a big payroll? Those teams are full of stars and you have to be able to manage egos more than instruct them tactically. Could you imagine someone trying this with Mbappe or Kane or fill-in-the-blank star player on a star team? Amateur league stuff right there. I’m getting #FonsecaOut on standby…
Final Thoughts
As you could probably tell by my more venting tone in this, I’m bugged. Like REALLY bugged. Unforced errors are probably the thing that irk me the most. The game is hard enough, don’t pile on. Yet, it seems we have probably have a thickheaded coach on our hands and ownership is going to have to decide if they need to cut bait and soon. It was a decision Maldini had to make with Marco Giampaolo. Do Zlatan and Gerry & Co have the balls to do it now?…
Monza on Saturday.
Forza Milan
gillis
