After an undefeated preseason, including lifting the coveted Trofeo Silvio Berlusconi, fans have eagerly invited Fonseca into their obviously completely realistic expectations and fantasies for this season. Those expectations range somewhere between winning the treble (without cheating, obviously) and winning the treble, plus the Supercoppa and maybe even some retrospective trophies, I am not sure. But after five years of Pioli, anything different is being welcomed with open arms and zero reservations whatsoever. For the man who quite literally moved into Milanello, fans are offering their unfettered dreams without even being concerned about the way the club has not yet properly reinforced the team this summer, or how not a lot has actually changed. That is the Fonseca effect.
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| Fonseca has already convinced many fans, but will it last? |
Change can be good. But has enough changed? Our owner is still the narcissistic American who did not even know what football was just a few years ago, and agreed to purchase a club for €1.2 billion only to realize nine months later that it was actually the second most decorated Champions League team in Europe. And, just a couple of months later, without cause, he suddenly and blasphemously fired Milan legend Paolo Maldini, who was the reason Milan was back on the footballing map and turning a profit again.
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| A new coach, sure, but the same management. |
After the severe backlash from that idiotic choice, and some ridiculous floundering in terms of how he wanted to reorganize the club to put his own ignorant stamp on it, he authorized the sale of a Milan fan favorite player to finance what started as a "reinforcement" of the squad. That power, the response he and his tiny sidekick Furlani got from both the fans and media from bringing in those new players, ended up in a complete overhaul of the team, with 17 players leaving and ten new players coming in, for a total of €134 million spent last year. And Cardinale personally promised fans his investments would bring Milan back to the top, too.
What no one talks about is how they actually sent 11 players out on loan, receiving less than €10 million for all of them: Vásquez, Messias, De Ketelaere, Lazetić, Saelemaekers, Colombo, Origi, Ballo-Touré, Daniel Maldini, and Gabbia (whom they had to pay to bring back early halfway through the year.) And they let three other players walk on free transfers, too: Rebić, Jungdal, and Tatarusanu. That is 14 players gone last season for which Milan only received about €10 million for so far, including all loan and buyout fees. And now, they are scrambling to find places for many of them once again this summer, or are letting them go for free or very cheap.
Is it just me? Or do these fans do not exactly seem happy with management's transfers?
But hey, we won so much last season with all those amazing reinforcements, right? Crashing out of the Champions League Group Stage, being eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the Quarterfinals, finishing 19 points behind Inter. The injury crises which plagued Pioli's sides year after year became unfathomable last year, with the causes discussed extensively, yet still uncertain.
The Curva Sud were fine with Cardinale's treatment of Maldini last year, because they anticipated a great mercato. But when those signings did not bear fruits, they turned their backs on the team and boycotted the final four and a half matches. Pioli took the blame for these results, and he and the club parted ways, but was it only his coaching? And has adding Ibrahimović to RedBird's payroll as a Senior Advisor to Milan been a positive, or has it actually confused fans more?
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| Zorro unmasked, and with those trophies in the background... no pressure or anything. |
A year later, those new players have had time to integrate into the team. And management have made three modest investments in the summer transfer window this year, in Álvaro Morata, Strahinja Pavlović, and Emerson Royal. Outgoing players include Kjaer and Giroud and a few others, while there are many other players who still have yet to leave. So there have arguably been minimal improvements, but this is the situation that Fonseca inherits.
He has fresh ideas and the players are excited for the new energy. So far, the preseason results have impressed, with a draw in Austria against Rapid Wien, and wins against Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona in the U.S. The reward of being crowned winners once again of the illustrious Trofeo Berlusconi was just the consummate victory of the preseason. However, the injury curse seems to have followed Fonseca, with two serious injuries already to Florenzi, reported to be out up to eight months, and Sportiello, likely to be out at least two months.
The whiteboard on the grass instruction is different, at least.
In the first match, the players simply looked exhausted, as Fonseca had been pushing them through grueling double training sessions most days. When they got to the U.S., his ideas seemed to be starting to take hold, although in the first match, they started out quite nervous and jumpy, like tiny little dogs or something. But within that match, something clicked, and they managed to find confidence in these new ideas of passing quickly and constantly, thinking and reacting. And that confidence only grew the next two matches, with the attack managing to break through even when you least expected it.
However, even within that last U.S. match versus Barcelona, the defense was still a nightmare, another important area Fonseca was hired to address. He said he wants them to defend differently, but those ideas may take longer to impose on the team and require the signing of a defensive midfielder at the very least. But at least the preseason culminated with a steady performance against Monza on Tuesday. Not only that, but Fonseca managed to do all of this missing many of his starters until last week, and giving significant playing time to a number of young players, who also impressed.
He beat Carletto, who just won the UEFA Super Cup and the UCL...
Fans seem to be enjoying this new playing style, and they also enjoy the availability of more young players due to the new Milan Futuro squad, which Fonseca was not afraid to use, at least in preseason. But Milan Futuro began their Coppa Italia campaign last weekend, and their league kicks of in just over a week, while the Primavera and Serie A leagues both kick off on Saturday. How long will Fonseca's honeymoon last? The mercato also closes in two weeks. Which players will remain, and will he get the defensive reinforcements that Pioli so desperately needed for the past two seasons?
There was much speculation and much doubt about Fonseca's appointment, given that this is the biggest club he has ever been given charge of. And he has also been entrusted with supervising the entire Milan project, including the new U23 team, Milan Futuro, with Coach Bonera, and the Primavera side with new manager Federico Guidi, too.
He has won the fans over, but how long will they stay?
Can Fonseca break our stomach-turning Derby curse? Most importantly, will he and his staff be able to prevent the constant injury Armageddons that have plagued our squads these past few years? The season is long, and anything could happen. Will Fonseca be able to overcome the injuries, the deficits in the squad, the challenges within our management, and rebuild this team's belief to return it to winning ways? It almost seems like too much for anyone to expect of one manager, but that has not stopped fans from already being convinced. That is the Fonseca effect.
This post inspired by the music of the Stone Temple Pilots' "Big Empty"
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