Brutal honesty [Newsletter]

and

Dec 12, 2024

Milan managed to clinch three important points against Red Star in their pursuit of a top-eight finish, but it ended up being a lot more difficult than first thought. Or perhaps it was just what the Rossoneri fans expected, given you could argue it was very similar to the Slovan Bratislava win. Dull, sluggish, uninspiring, filled with errors, but with three points to show at the end.

Right from the get-go, it became clear that this wasn’t going to be a very entertaining spectacle underneath the San Siro floodlights. Of course, you could argue that a late winner and both teams finding the back of the net is entertaining, but everything in between was rather poor from Paulo Fonseca’s men. At many times, there was a complete lack of inspiration and energy.

It’s not hard to see why some fans have grown tired of the situation, especially if you consider everything that’s going on off the pitch. Milan just need to be a lot more assertive in games like the one last night; believing in their style of play and pushing for three points, rather than just relying on moments to get the latter. And yes, strong teams manage to win even if they play poorly, but that can’t be the motto every week.

On the flip side, Tammy Abraham had a big chance to make it 2-0 before the away side’s goal and there was also a penalty shout, so we could have avoided the drama altogether. This definitely would have been the excuse under normal circumstances, and perhaps rightfully so, but we have seen this pattern so many times this season and that is far from good news.

Of course, the three points are huge and with two games remaining, two wins - or even one win and a draw - should be enough to reach the knockout phase. It would be a financial boost for Milan, which perhaps could help with the January mercato, and it would also help with the confidence. Then again, the final four games were labelled as must-wins already at the time of the draw, so the fact we are struggling isn’t ideal.

It certainly feels like the players, as well as the fans, have taken a real beating by the inconsistency this season. Everyone had hoped that the Atalanta game would change the trend, but that never materialised. So even with a win like the one last night, you are just waiting for the next disappointment, and Fonseca said it best himself in the post-match interview.

“I’m tired of struggling with the same things, I’m not satisfied with the team’s performance. Our team is a roller coaster. Today we are fine, tomorrow I don’t know. It’s like tossing a coin. I know that I work every day to prepare the team, to do well. I don’t know if everyone in the team can say the same,” he stated.

In short, incredibly strong words by the gaffer but most fans probably agree with him. The next question, of course, is whether he ultimately should make sure that the players don’t have these attitude issues. It’s one that has been heavily debated given the decision not to hire a world-class coach, and that discussion is bound to continue following the words of the manager.

News Bulletin

➤ For once it was a positive week for Milan Futuro in terms of results. They came from behind to get a 1-1 draw away against Campobasso with Dariusz Stalmach scoring, then Chaka Traore got the winner as Daniele Bonera’s side beat Gubbio 1-0 on Sunday.

➤ In what was a first for both teams, AC Milan Women and Inter Women contested the Derby della Madonnina at San Siro on Sunday. The Rossonere fell behind but were saved by Nadia Nadim's equaliser in a 1-1 draw, her first goal for the club, all while debuting the 125th anniversary kit.

➤ Milan Primavera have had a mixed few days, starting with Saturday’s 3-2 league win over the rock-bottom side Sampdoria. Emanuele Sala, Max Ibrahimovic and Andrea Di Siena scored. However, any hopes of reaching the play-off stages of the UEFA Youth League were ended as they were beaten 3-1 at home by Red Star on Wednesday afternoon.

➤ Transfer news over the past week: contacts have reportedly resumed over Carney Chukwuemeka, Theo Hernandez could be sold in January amid his loss of form, Mattia Liberali is being eyed by Serie A clubs, Noah Okafor could be sold and Sandro Tonali was linked with a return his agent quickly ruled out.

➤ Antonio D’Ottavio has left his role as sporting director of Milan as Matteo Moretto first reported. The reasons for the fall-out continue to emerge and the management are now examining how to replace him, which is expected to come in the form of an internal candidate.

➤ Our features for the week include: a look at potential Fonseca replacements from the logical to the unrealistic, a tactical analysis of the defeat against Atalanta, a look at how Milan's record against top six sides stacks up with rivals and a deep-dive into why the coach went on such a post-mach tirade.