Former Milan coach Fabio Capello believes ‘It would be wrong to fire Paulo Fonseca, even if he loses the derby.’ The legendary coach was speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport about the Rossoneri’s recent form, not least their defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.
Wasn’t Venezia’s performance deceptive?
“It was such an abnormal match that allowed Milan to play with complete ease, as they were up 2-0 after just 15 minutes. While many were getting excited, I noticed that Venezia was given too many opportunities to approach the goal. As in other matches. Then you meet Liverpool…”
And what happens?
“When others increase the pace and go at a higher speed, we Italians always struggle. Liverpool also highlighted organizational and technical deficiencies, like the inability to mark on corners. It’s unthinkable that two players can jump unchallenged in front of the goal, even if Fonseca assured me that man-marking was used.”
And then?
“Did you see that when Liverpool increased the pressure, Milan couldn’t get out? They always recovered the ball. It’s an organizational but also technical flaw. And here I’ll defend Fonseca. Players who are phenomenal in Italy are very different abroad, especially against English teams or teams with English-style rhythms.”
Wouldn’t it be easy for a club to set up an English-style preparation?
“I was at Sky and on the monitors I saw City’s pre-match training. Do you know what they were doing? Pure technique. And they were enjoying themselves. We don’t do that anymore. Technique combined with important physical preparation. Here, it’s only tactics, especially in youth sectors. I’ve met parents happy that their child was training with a coach ‘excellent in tactics, who makes them raise their hand to call set-piece schemes’. I would take away their coaching license.”
How can we improve?
“Perhaps a federal intervention would be needed.”
Would Milan need a new intervention from Fonseca?
“When I took over a team, I was attentive to the past but I put in my own ideas. I’ve always made wine with the grapes I had.”
How are Fonseca’s grapes?
“You should ask those who did the transfer market. I heard the boss on TV: he says he’s in charge, right? So he has some responsibility too…”
One thing is certain: many players, but since Tonali’s time, there’s been no leader.
“Of course! I’ll add: of the Milan that won the Scudetto, there’s not one from that midfield left. If you’ve won, you should improve the base, not destroy it. In recent years, attacking midfielders, half-forwards have arrived… And where’s the playmaker? But the problem concerns many roles. Like the center-forward.”
Morata for Giroud?
“Giroud is a box striker, Morata is something else…” Morata gave his best with Allegri who deployed him as a “false” 9, wide on the left.
“Exactly. Morata is not a box striker. Such a tactical shift needs to be studied by both the club and the coach.”
But Reijnders is a good player and Loftus-Cheek comes from the Premier League, they’re not unknowns.
“Reijnders had a great European Championship, Loftus knows how to play but it’s not yet clear where, Pulisic is a great forward. And again: you have problems on the right and you sell Kalulu who immediately becomes a starter at Juve and plays great against PSV. I can’t explain what’s happening. I don’t know if some aren’t Milan material or if the context is wrong. I see eleven players scattered on the field, not a team. Since last year already.”
The Leao paradox: what to do?
“Leao sometimes makes you lose patience, but he’s the only one who knows how to do different things. Maybe he’s making us wait a bit too long, sometimes he’s annoying, other times he’s phenomenal. With him, you have one less in the defensive phase: it can work if the one in front does special things like Ronaldo.”
What would you do?
“I should train the players to understand, but coaches need to come up with something. Ancelotti moved Pirlo, I put Desailly in front of the defense. At least he would have grabbed by the neck those who didn’t run or defend.”
And if Fonseca loses the derby too?
“I’m surprised by De Rossi’s dismissal: if you’ve made a half revolution you have to give him time, not fire him after four games. Fonseca should be given time too. But now it’s up to him. Conte made himself heard immediately: he failed the first time, he was tough publicly and not just in the locker room, and the immediate wake-up call came.”
What should Fonseca do?
“Get into the players’ heads. They don’t seem to have the right competitive tension. As if they weren’t prepared to face different situations in matches than in training. After the Scudetto, the spirit was missing, as if they had a full belly: Tomori seemed like a phenomenon, today he’s struggling tremendously. Maybe Ibra could instill that tension in them: he never lacked it on the field.”
