MN: Fonseca to have almost entire defence from day one – he will build from the back | OneFootball

AC Milan’s preseason will get underway in five days with the ‘raduno’ on Monday, and Paulo Fonseca will likely start building his team from the back.

As MilanNews reports, it will not be a full squad available to Paulo Fonseca from day one of preseason due to the European Championship and Copa America, however there will be nearly a full complement of defenders.

Fikayo Tomori will be there as will Malick Thiaw, Pierre Kalulu, Matteo Gabbia and even Marco Pellegrino, even if the latter is not destined to stay. Almost all the full-backs will also be present, with only Theo Hernandez missing.

This is an excellent aid for Fonseca who – with his defence almost complete (net of possible new arrivals or sales) – will be able to start working on one of the departments that struggled the most last season.

Last year, the defensive phase was perhaps the biggest limitation that the team then coached by Stefano Pioli showed on the field. This does not mean that it was only the fault of the defence or the defenders, indeed the problem was structural and of the entire team.

Fonseca had to overcome problems of this type at Roma and with Lille, and it is optimal to start working on the issue with a large part of the players in that area available. The work will certainly be tactical but mental and physical support will probably also be needed.

The Portuguese and his staff will have to help Tomori and all his team-mates in the department find an optimal psychophysical condition, who last season suffered serious injuries and fluctuating performances.