A dour goalless draw vs Juventus, a tie with Cagliari and a late win at Slovan Bratislava were not what any one involved with Milan expected after beating Real Madrid days earlier. Defensive woes and strange decisions continue to plague Milan. Fonseca likely now has even less time to right the ship. Fixing the leaky defense is not an easy task and may require more than just a move or two. Members of the team management share a good portion of the blame as well. Almost grandiose statements about wanting Milan at the top are looking farther away from reality than a year ago.
Milan get to this Empoli week 14 match with two (perhaps small) examples of how the team’s transfer moves and team building are flawed. First, an unknown goalkeeper was brought in from the Paraguayan league to serve as an apprentice. His departure on loan almost as soon as he had arrived may not have been seen as much of note but now, on his third loan already, this time at Empoli his stock has risen but only after Milan provided a cheap option to buy for the Tuscan club. The second is Lorenzo Colombo, a home grown player at his fifth loan who is also due to be lost for little. A forward of his nature can and should prove more valuable for the team that needs players to grow and stay home.
Meanwhile Milan have spent millions on players like Emerson Royal who look like disappointments if not down right flops. On the other side of the back four a star actually blossoming at Milan may or may not stay for the long term. Theo has not always looked his best this season but tactics and expectations have not always been on his side. A left back expected to defend deep in his penalty box and by default ignore the opposition’s right sided players or wingers is a recipe for a defensive mess. Thiaw and Gabbia should start down at the center of the defense but Fonseca is unusually a man of change of defenders, even in the middle of matches. The latter of the two defenders is one good example of a home player improving at home and on loan. Gabbia has just extended his stay till 2029 after having a solid 2024.
Fofana and Reijnders look to the mainstays of the starting 11 in the pivot roles. The former is still not fully adapted to the Serie A but offers glimpses of being a solid defensive midfield star. The latter is showing his worth and could be more effective as an attacking threat instead of a more defensive one.
Up front is a mystery of sorts. Leao, in particular, is not a regular starter despite Fonseca claims. The coach’s words do not exactly match Leao’s absence from many starting lineups. Others like Pulisic, Musah, Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek and Okafor have occupied the spots behind the center forward in an almost rotation. The first on the aforementioned list has been the star of the season so far. Up front Morata is expected to start, his season has been interrupted by injury and it is hard to fully judge his impact and play so far. Abraham has not been used regularly enough to get into any sort of a rhythm and his presence on the team will will remain questioned. Jovic is another example of Milan’s questionable transfer business. The Serbian came in for a pseudo probationary season and near the end of it was given an extension only to be banished by a coach hired soon after the given extension. He now sits on the injured list.
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