CorSport: Shadow of 1997-98 looms over Milan ahead of must-win Venezia game | OneFootball

AC Milan’s home game against Venezia on Saturday night is about as much of a must-win as one can be early in the season, and there is a record that Paulo Fonseca will be looking to avoid.

As this morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews) reports, Milan’s start this season is worthy of a ‘horror movie’ because everything that could go wrong did go wrong, from bad results to shocking defending, injuries and sagas involving star players.

The Rossoneri are still without a win, they have two points out of nine available and they have let in six goals, tying Atalanta and Lecce for the worst defensive record after three rounds of Serie A action.

In terms of performance levels, attitude and decisions, everyone seemed out of sync, from the new coach Paulo Fonseca to the individuals whom more is expected from. From Saturday, when Venezia will arrive at San Siro, a decisive U-turn is needed.

Looking back at the worst starts ever in the three-points-per-win era, Milan this season could equal the dreadful beginning to 1997-98 when after four games the Diavolo were still stuck on two points. A draw is enough to avoid being equal with that, but it will only add fuel to the flames.

The season in question was the one with the highly-anticipated return of Fabio Capello. The first four games were as follows: 1-1 away against Piacenza, 1-1 at home to Lazio, 2-1 loss away at Udinese and a 1-0 home defeat to Vicenza. The Rossoneri would go on to finish 10th, with more defeats than wins.