Maurizio Sarri was ready to take over AC Milan 20 days ago, right after the derby against Inter. However, the unexpected victory of the Rossoneri blocked the whole operation, but with losses in Leverkusen and Florence, Paulo Fonseca’s position is once again in question. Sarri is prepared to break a precedent in his career and take charge of a team mid-season. The Tuscan coach was puzzled during the past transfer window as to why the Rossoneri hadn’t contacted him, given that they have a group of players that perfectly fits his football philosophy.AC Milan are the Manchester United of Serie A pic.twitter.com/ZYOnlHJnKo— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) October 6, 2024 Fonseca will get another month, until the next international break in November, to get Milan back on track. If he doesn’t succeed, he will be replaced by Sarri, albeit with a delay of a few weeks. Some might say almost a decade late, considering that in May 2015, former executive and owner Adriano Galliani and Silvio Berlusconi were deciding between hiring Siniša Mihajlović or Maurizio Sarri. They chose Mihajlović, and Sarri went to Napoli instead. Fonseca has contributed to undermining his own position at Milan, with four losses in nine matches across the Champions League and Serie A. He is the only coach in Serie A who doesn’t implement squad rotation during weeks when his team plays in Europe, and he paid a high price for that in Florence. Simply put, the Rossoneri ran out of steam, both physically and psychologically. In Leverkusen, they fought hard in the last half-hour of the match, but in Florence, they were almost indifferent.De Gea shines as Fonseca blasts his players for a penalty circus they madeThe decision in the final minutes of the Fiorentina match to substitute Pulisic and Leão, while leaving Morata and Abraham on the field, sparked much debate. Fonseca further damaged his position by stating that he had designated Pulisic to take the penalty, but the players didn’t follow his instructions—not once, but twice—which signals that the Portuguese coach’s word doesn’t carry much weight in the locker room. In any case, Milan’s head coach showed great naivety, considering that he is an experienced manager if he thought blaming the players for missed penalties would strengthen his position. It had the opposite effect.The worst birthday everNot even two months into the new season, Milan is already dealing with several issues. Leão continues to play inconsistently, unacceptable for the best and highest-paid player. Abraham has been worryingly inefficient, missing a slew of chances, even those considered 100% guaranteed, with the missed penalty against Fiorentina being the final straw. Theo Hernandez has been overly nervous, resulting in a red card after the final whistle. The international break comes at a bad time for Milan, as 18 of their players will be leaving for their national teams, meaning Fonseca won’t have the chance to work seriously with his squad in Milanello for the next ten days.##NAJAVA_MECA_8396200##
