“Big teams must be dominant” – Milan boss Fonseca refuses to change amid poor start
Paulo Fonseca takes charge of just his 4th Serie A match with AC Milan this weekend, but the Portuguese is already under pressure to find results following a disappointing start to the season.
Milan have taken just two points from their opening three matches, leaving the Rossoneri in 14th place and resulting in questions already being asked about the new manager’s expansive playing style.
Fonseca replaced Stefano Pioli in the San Siro dugout in the summer, with Milan spokesman Zlatan Ibrahimovic suggesting the Portuguese had been appointed partly due to his proactive approach. Pioli had been seen by some as a relatively pragmatic manager, but Fonseca’s focus on positional play and development of young players was heralded as an exciting new avenue for Milan.
However, a disappointing 2-2 result at home against Torino on opening day was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Parma. Milan then headed to the capital to meet Lazio, with the sides sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw, meaning Fonseca’s side are yet to record a clean sheet as well as register their first win of the campaign.
Fonseca took his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of a must-win contest against Venezia, and was asked if he felt under scrutiny. “I am always under scrutiny,” he said. “Coaches depend on results, but I am only focused on my job, it cannot be any other way. If I focus on what others say or write, it becomes difficult to work. We all have to work to improve.
“I don’t know if there is a key. I still have the same passion and confidence, I’m trying to solve the problems we had in the first three games. Right now, I’m just thinking about the team and the work I have to do with the players. That’s the key: focus on the job.”
One journalist asked Fonseca if he was tempted to shore up the team with a lower defensive block to arrest the concession of goals. The former Porto man has in the past been accused of a somewhat cavalier style during his time at Roma, although many felt the criticism was harsh given his resources with the Giallorossi.
“That’s a good question,” Fonseca said. “We believe in our ideas and, with the players we have, I can’t believe that they only know how to play in a low block and on the counter-attack. Big teams have the responsibility to be dominant.
“Obviously, at the moment we’re not where we want to be and that’s a big change we need to make. We have to improve the number of goals we concede and a team that doesn’t want to concede has to keep the ball more. We’re working on that, the players are understanding the importance of having the ball and managing the game with it.
“Is the title still the objective? It’s definitely important to say this. When we’re in these moments, without results, we can imagine a sad team with no confidence, but what I see every day is a happy team that wants to improve. That’s why I’m always confident. The results then count, but I can’t be negative after seeing the players working with the confidence they have.”
Milan host Venezia on Saturday night hoping to end a recent slump in league form going back to the end of last season, which has seen them win just one of their last ten Serie A matches.
By @SeanGillen9