Fonseca lined up his Milan side without his captain and two of his best players, saying ahead of the match it was "for the good of the team." Yet the team struggled, and it took Lazio scoring two goals before Fonseca finally put two of the players on, who immediately created an equalizer, securing a point with a 2-2 draw. Everyone and their Nonna's cousin's hairstylist's uncle's butcher's friend's dogwalker is talking about the subsequent cooling break, but what they should be talking about is how Milan played. And how Fonseca seems to have already lost the dressing room. And, listening to his postmatch comments yet again, lost the plot.
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| Theo, dubbed "not a leader" in the toxic media scandal, leads the team to thank the fans. |
Ahead of the match, there was a beautiful tribute to former Lazio manager Sven Göran Eriksson, who had passed away this week. Following the beautiful tribute, the match immediately erupted, with Maignan coming out to try to deal with Boulaye Dia, only to be beaten, and Pavlović racing back to clear his shot in just the second minute. Lazio were not as explosive or as constantly dangerous as Parma the week before, but Milan were not much better than their previous week's performance, either, even if Fonseca was apparently satisfied with their first half. Fofana did well enough on his first full debut, despite getting an early yellow card in the 20th minute for a foul on the otherwise unstoppable Boulaye Dia.
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| Defends like a beast, scores like a monster, and celebrates like grinta personified. |
However, one brilliant moment put Milan ahead, as the aforementioned Pavlović headed in a Pulisic corner in just the eighth minute to put Milan ahead. 1-0 Milan. Absolutely loved seeing him score his first goal, he has so much grinta and passion, his performance alone made an otherwise painful match bearable. I think the rest of Milan's first half could be summed up in the 43rd minute, where Okafor slipped while passing the ball, Pulsic sent a decent cross in, but Loftus-Cheek did not connect. Maybe not quite the Three Stooges, but also not the quality that Fonseca had available to him on his bench, either.
Davide Massa, the referee, let a lot of things go. He probably watched Orsato's 15 card performance in the last Lazio-Milan match in March and did not want to repeat his errors. One of those things was when Zaccagni flagrantly pushed Emerson Royal, playing in his first full debut, in the back in the 53rd minute. But Lazio got the worst of his non-calls, as they were denied two formerly credible handball calls in the 80th and 85th minutes on Terracciano and Musah respectively, with Patric even earning a yellow card for dissent after the second time. I don't know what the referees have been instructed about the handball calls for this season, but if this were last season, Lazio could have easily been given two penalties.
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| His full debut was nothing overwhelming. |
Neither side created an excessive amount of chances, but Lazio were clinical with theirs. In the 62nd minute, Castellanos scored after Tavares crossed it in. 1-1 all. Tomori took one for the team, blocking a shot point blank with a very delicate part of his body, hopefully it will not affect his ability to have children if he so chooses. But, like taking a ball to the groin, Milan conceded a second goal less than four minutes later, this time Boulaye Dia scoring from a Tavares cross. 2-1 Lazio.
Many have pointed out that all the goals Milan have conceded this season are virtually identical. Which should be an easy fix for a manager. But if Fonseca's managing skills are anything like his press conferences, then the players will be as confused as they appear to be every time they need to defend. And it didn't help that his first substitutions came four minutes after Lazio's second goal, when he subbed on two of his intentionally benched players in a four man squad change.
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| Tammy Abraham came on, and got his first assist within two minutes. |
That substitution saw Tammy Abraham make his Milan debut, barely 24 hours after signing his contract, replacing Okafor. The exiled Rafa Leão and Theo Hernández replaced Chukwueze and Emerson Royal, respectively, with Musah replacing Reijnders. With their very first touches of the ball, Theo linked up with Tammy Abraham, who sent the ball in to Leão, who scored as if it was child's play. 1-0 Milan. Then came the part that everyone has blown out of proportion.
As Massa whistled for a water break, Theo and Leão noticeably were not with the rest of the group. They had just come on, and really didn't need the break, and in fact, probably needed to keep moving more than anything else (which they actually did, they walked around, they didn't just stand there.) Reports say that the two got a phone call from Ibrahimović after the match, who was not there because he was on vacation, and Moncada also spoke to them about it.
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| Immediate impact, still constantly criticized. |
Fonseca and the club downplayed the whole thing as a non-issue, but the media and fans have criticized the duo excessively. Opinions have ranged from "They should not have done that," to "They are supposed to be leaders," all the way to hysterical takes comparable to "They have committed the ultimate sin." Critics such as the highly respected and always upstanding Di Canio disparaged the duo publicly. Truly, they have lost the plot. Even Furlani had to address it during Abraham's press conference, insisting it was a "non-issue." Leão used a single image on social media to give the ultimate reply, demonstrating that other players have committed far more egregious acts on the pitch, in particular, Di Canio himself.
More importantly, Fonseca came out of this thing with egg on his face. Milan very clearly dropped points because of his lineup choices. By the time he sent his banished starters on, Lazio had scored two goals, and there was not enough time to dig the team out of the hole and actually win it, they had to settle for the draw. And even those four subs did not intimidate Lazio. Baroni outmanaged him, using all his substitutes and using them well, to impact the game. Terracciano earned a late yellow for a foul on Zaccagni, and although Abraham had a nice shot in the final minute, it was punched away by Provedel. Milan drew once again, taking only their second point in their first three matches.
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| After having been over criticized last week, the media doubled down this week, despite his instant impact. |
Meanwhile, Theo and Leão made Fonseca look like a fool by scoring immediately, then creating the controversy of Cooling Break-gate 2024. That Fonseca did not have Calabria play at all smacks of his similar treatment of Florenzi at Roma, who is also Italian, also was the captain, same position even, and similar age. Plus, the alternative of Emerson Royal failed to impress, particularly defensively, making Fonseca look even more foolish. While it was reported that Theo and Leão were reminded that Fonseca was the manager and they needed to respect his decisions, Fonseca lost the respect of the fans with these decisions. It is almost as if even he does not believe in himself, as he did not even find himself a home to live in, but rather is staying at Milanello.
But even more foolish is that Fonseca does not seem to be able to communicate his defensive strategies. And the team look very punishable, so opposing teams smell blood and have been able to take points off of us in each of our first three matches. People are making comparisons with Giampaolo in 2019, but even he won two of his first three matches, without throwing his star players under the bus and losing the dressing room.
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| Fonseca finally gets a well-fitting shirt, but still made a fool of himself. |
Additionally, many have recognized that with the team and issues he has, Fonseca should really switch to a 4-3-3, at least long enough to stop hemorrhaging goals and get some results. But Fonseca has fiercely defended his choice of systems, insisting he believes in his football, while performances and results scream otherwise. Reports claim that Fonseca's job will be evaluated after the next three matches: Venezia, Liverpool, and Inter, all to be played at the San Siro. However, this management lost the plot when they fired Maldini. Then, this year, they insisted on hiring a foreign manager, chose Fonseca when there were better options, and have not exactly set him up for success. So who knows what they will do after the Derby, even if the performances and results are still poor.
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| Fofana's midfield presence could help our defensive issues, but he is just as confused as everyone else. |
The players are being accused of having lost the plot, but honestly, I have a difficult time blaming them. Theo and Calabria are up for renewals, and this management are treating them horrifically. Leão had some ginormous offers rumored this summer, and he stayed loyal to these charlatans (well at least loyal to Milan.) Management pushed out important squad members and Scudetto winners at the last minute, and still failed to reinforce the team properly, because they genuinely do not know how to run a football club. Milan stand to lose so much while management are catering to their precious foreign manager, while fans have literally come to hate them. How do you offend so many people in such a small time? It just feels like the team is crumbling yet again, because all the people at the top have lost the plot.
Milan Futuro Drew 1-1 with Carpi in Their First Home Match
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| Camarda and debutant Vos had instant chemistry. |
In their first home match on Sunday, Milan Futuro conceded an early goal in the 17th minute. But they fought back, and in the 68th, Camarda won a penalty and scored the resulting penalty kick to equalize. New signing Sylvano Vos was subbed on for his debut and impressed, he is one to watch. This is their first point in Serie C, and the boys have plenty of work to do this season. Full match replay is available this week on FIFA+ or you can watch highlights as well.
The 10-Men Milan Primavera Lose to Genoa
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| Milan Primavera suffered on 10 men for more than half their match. |
It was a tough afternoon for Guidi's side on Saturday, as Milan Primavera home were away to Genoa. Sia scored the opening goal, the Primavera were up 1-0. Then Genoa equalized, Perera was sent off just before halftime, and Milan had to play the entire second half on 10 men. Genoa took full advantage of this, and Milan Primavera lost 3-1.
Reviewed by Elaine
on
11:00 AM
Rating:
