GdS: Fonseca’s pros and cons outweighed by the need for support from above | OneFootball

AC Milan have decided that Paulo Fonseca is the man that they want to be their next head coach, and beyond the positives and negatives of the appointment there is the need to show him support.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Milan were consistent because they never deviated too much from the initial identikit, one that led them to Julen Lopetegui before they turned away: they want a coach who is good with young players, can work with the management and has an attacking style.

In recent weeks the Milan fans have realized that the coach of their dreams would not arrive as names like Antonio Conte, Sergio Conceiçao and others vanished from the list. A more significant name was expected by many, a statement of ambition.

That’s not to say that Fonseca will not ask for players suited to his idea of ​​play because he certainly will, but he will not put the club in difficulty during the first press conference, as certain big names in the dugout often do.

He has a fair amount of international experience with Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Lille, and above all knowledge of the league having coached Roma for two seasons before Jose Mourinho’s arrival.

Even in the capital he was greeted by a certain scepticism, yet his Roma played good football and – despite missing the Champions League places in his two-year period – reached the semi-final of the Europa League (eliminated by Manchester United), with a squad significantly inferior to the ones Mourinho had.

If the Stadio Olimpico and the Roma environment are certainly not easy, San Siro and the Milan one are even less so due to the expectations of the fans and the counterweight of Inter. Will Fonseca have the broad shoulders and personality to withstand any critical phases?

More Stories / Features

Ambition, timing and risk: Why Milan and De Zerbi might be a perfect marraige

21 May 2024, 20:54

Farewell Viking: Simon Kjaer’s Milan dream approaches a bittersweet end

20 May 2024, 21:08

European growth, accounts, mercato and more: Seven reasons for Milan fans to be optimistic

16 May 2024, 19:40

If they were looking for a coach who could carry the club on his shoulders, then the choice seems misguided, but if the club is able to support him strongly in the mercato and in his daily work, then it could also prove to be the right one.

More than the coach, whose good but so far not exceptional qualities are known, it is the club that will have to make an important leap in quality from all points of view. To paraphrase Spalletti: ‘Strong society, strong destiny’.

Today it is the structure of the club, even more than the financial means available, that leaves many doubts. From the choice of coach, after having explored many, to the doubts about the centre forward, to an unclear decision-making chain.

Who knows, maybe the Furlani-Moncada-Ibra trio will surprise us and perhaps Fonseca will do the same but today Pioli will say goodbye, and he will be a hard act to follow given that a top four spot had become the minimum.