Inconsistent pressing, lack of stability; An analysis of Paulo Fonseca’s Milan

As Milan currently sit in 14th place after failing  to attain three points in their opening two fixtures of the 2024/25 Serie A season, coach Paulo Fonseca is currently in the hot seat.

Upon his arrival, the expectations of a successful campaign were set pretty high following the acquisitions of several reinforcements such as Spaniard Alvaro Morata, central defender Strahinja Pavlovic, midfielder Youssouf Fofana, and full-back Emerson Royal. However, the Rossonerri failed to impress after drawing to Torino in their opener, and suffering a devastating 2-1 defeat to Parma.

Following two underwhelming displays, La Gazzetta dello Sport highlights several key takeaways of Fonseca’s Milan since taking over as a result of the dismissal of Stefano Pioli. 

Inconsistent Pressing

Fonseca’s decision to deploy Noah Okafor over Luka Jovic to replace the injured Morata against Parma due to his ability to press high was infuriating to many as in order to establish an effective high-press, the team must be organized and united. Fonseca cannot simply just rely on one forward to apply pressure on the back-line.

The well-orchestrated pressing and ferocity that the Rossonerri displayed in the late stages of their opening fixture against I Granata was they factor in their comeback after trailing behind by two goals.

Often times, Milan’s pressing has not been in-sync, causing gaps to be created in their defensive shape and allowing the opposition to slip into spaces in between the lines, as well in-behind the defense.

Lack of defensive stability

Despite having majority of possession of the ball, Milan have struggled to maintain defensive stability. The Rossonerri constantly moved forward without defensive coverage in behind in order to mitigate risks.

The midfield often got caught flat-footed and parallel, making it easy for the opposition to throttle through on the break. Furthermore, the gap between the midfield and the defensive line was often far too big, providing their opponents with arches of space to move in-between the lines.

Newly acquired central defender Strahinja Pavlovic had a poor debut against Parma as he failed to find himself in positions to cover the gaps in the defensive phase.

However, the entire back-line was evidently abysmal as there was clear signals of disconnectedness in the defensive shape, resulting in the Rossonerri conceding only two minutes into the first half at the Stadio Ennio Tardini, as Fonseca’s back-line entered the pitch soft and brittle.

Rafael Leao

Since playing a pivotal role in helping the Rossonerri to lift the scudetto, Leao has failed to maintain a consistent run of form. It seems that the Portuguese winger is struggling to progress from a promising star to an established world-class player.

Despite effectively using his pace and dribbling out-wide, the 25 year-old has been lacking quality in the final third, failing to accumulate a substantial amount of goals given his quality on the pitch.

Many would expect Leao in his prime to lead by example and serve as the catalyst for the Rossonerri, but it seems otherwise at the moment as Christian Pulisic was arguably their most effective player up-front last season since arriving from Chelsea.

Julian Faustini Ι GIFN