Milan’s barren December continues. A loss to Atalanta, a barely scraped victory against Red Star in the Champions League, and a disappointing goalless draw against Genoa in a packed San Siro during the club’s 125th-anniversary celebration. A win over Verona in the 17th round of Serie A (0:1) stands apart, as it did not come as a result of dominant play or a brilliant tactical approach by coach Paulo Fonseca, who has been living on borrowed time in the fashion capital for quite a while now. Although he still has the faint support of the management, the Portuguese coach lacks objective arguments to defend the notion that he is the right man for Milan’s bench. Theo Hernández once again did not start the match, and circumstances forced Fonseca to bring on the star he had clashed with after just half an hour of play when Rafael Leão got injured. Fonseca was carried at the Bentegodi by Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders.Every angle I see of this goal, the better it is.Beautifully executed, from the assist to the goal. Fofana’s creativity is insane, and Reijnders has become so clinical. pic.twitter.com/ITt40pqkLM— gabe🇵🇹 (@itsgabe20) December 21, 2024 The match in the City of Romeo and Juliet brought two positive moments. The first was the masterful combination between Fofana and Reijnders in the 55th minute, culminating in the Dutchman’s goal—solidifying his status as one of the best midfielders in Serie A, possibly even across the top five leagues. The second moment occurred just before kickoff, as Verona’s players took to the field carrying puppies in their arms, animals soon to be adopted and given new homes. That speaks volumes about the quality of football at the Bentegodi. In the first half, there were only two noteworthy moments. A shot by Suslov following a major error by Chukwueze, which was saved by Mike Maignan, and a long-range attempt by Filippo Terracciano against his former club, which Lorenzo Montipò managed to stop.After Leao, Fonseca is not happy with TheoThe second half of the match offered little consolation for the eyes—except for Fofana’s pass, which pierced through the heart of Verona’s defense like an arrow and was coolly finished by Reijnders. While it might not have seemed so at the start of Fofana’s tenure at San Siro, recently there has been no more creative player in Milan’s ranks than the Frenchman. This was his fifth assist in the last nine matches across all competitions. In the absence of Leão and Pulisic, he has realized that sometimes he must take on the responsibility and focus more on creativity.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 17FridayVerona – Milan 0-1 (0-0)/Rejinders 56/Saturday17:00: (3.25) Torino (3.15) Bologna (2.50)19:00: (5.30) Genoa (3.75) Napoli (1.75)22:45: (5.00) Lecce (3.50) Lazio (1.75)Sunday14:30: (1.55) Roma (4.10) Parma (6.00)17:00: (2.55) Venezia (3.45) Cagliari (2.90)20:00: (1.28) Atalanta (5.40) Empoli (12.0)22:45: (5.80) Monza (3.50) Juventus (1.67)20:30: (1.63) Fiorentina (4.00) Udinese (6.00)22:45: (1.23) Inter (6.25) Como (13.0)***odds are subject to change***
