Fonseca must rely on his defensive strengths and Milan’s attacking flair | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca has been described as an attacking-minded manager and while that is true, Lille kept the most clean sheets in Ligue 1 last season. Therefore, now taking over AC Milan, the Portuguese manager must make the most of this.

Milan officially appointed Fonseca on Thursday and now the fans can focus on the mercato instead, with several signings expected. Zlatan Ibrahimovic described the Portuguese manager as attacking-minded and while that is true, there are many positives in defence too.

Fonseca’s teams are notoriously compact and this usually results in good defensive displays, keeping the most clean sheets (22) among Ligue 1 teams (all comps) this past season. Seeing as Milan were leaking at the back, the aforementioned is something the manager must replicate at Milanello.

Milan already have many strengths in attack, largely thanks to players like Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, so that is certainly less urgent than the defence. There is quality in the latter department too but it’s been too disjointed lately, which Fonseca is perfect for fixing.

Just to reiterate, Milan conceded a whopping 49 goals in the league this past season while Lille only conceded 34. One would think that Fonseca also will have better defensive material now, so it will be very interesting to see his work.