The new Milan coach Paulo Fonseca finds himself facing, before he even starts, several criticisms from the fans not so much related to his abilities but to the club’s choice to have hired a coach with a curriculum deemed unsuitable. The main mission of the Portuguese coach, therefore, is to earn the trust of the Rossoneri people with his work. And to do this the first mission, on a tactical level, will be to restore a top club defensive phase to Milan.
The numbers
49 goals conceded in the league: 27 more than leaders Inter and which relegated the Devil to eleventh place in this special ranking. Certainly not a placing to be proud of, especially if the goal is to fight for the championship. But beyond the numbers, the entire department struggled, also because it found little continuity due to the many injuries and above all because it was not supported by the rest of the team. From a coach like Fonseca, who has worked hard over the years to improve the defensive level of his teams, a decisive contribution is expected in this sense: compared to his first season with Lille, this year the Portuguese has conceded 10 goals in less.
When the defender might arrive
Clearly, in the context of a better defense and given the fluctuating performance of some players, it is reasonable to also expect important help from the transfer market. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the central defender is an objective of the Rossoneri management even if, according to what has been filtered in recent days from the upper levels of Casa Milan, he is not the current priority to invest in. First Milan would like to settle the centre-forward issue and perhaps also full-back or defensive midfielder. As regards the defense, therefore, Fonseca could have his reinforcement (or his reinforcements) in the second part of the summer window.