AC Milan 1-1 AS Roma: Five things we learned – Fonseca’s last game summed up his tenure

SempreMilan

·30 December 2024

AC Milan 1-1 AS Roma: Five things we learned – Fonseca’s last game summed up his tenure

AC Milan desperately needed three points after four teams ahead of them dropped points during the weekend. A perfect opportunity to catch up to the top four, but it was not taken.

Milan started off the game well and they were eventually rewarded with Tijjani Reijnders getting himself on the scoresheet just 16 minutes into the game after a lovely sequence which led to the Dutchman punishing the visitors.

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However, in typical Rossoneri fashion, the lead didn’t last long, and Paulo Dybala equalised just seven minutes later with a lovely volley to dampen the mood at the San Siro.

At the beginning of the second half, the Diavolo pushed more and looked like the team more eager to get three points, but, as has often been the case, the effort didn’t materialise into goals and the home side started to ease off towards the end of the game with fatigue clearly a factor.

Roma then picked up the pace a bit and had the better chances to steal the win, but the Giallorossi lacked the clinical finish to put them ahead, meaning the game finished 1-1. All in all, probably a fair outcome given the performances of both teams.

In the aftermath of the game Paulo Fonseca was sacked by the Milan management after yet another disappointing result with Sergio Conceicao announced as the replacement.

The former Porto coach will have a lot of work to do going into the Super Cup, but for now, let’s discuss five things we learned from Fonseca’s last game as a Milan coach:

1. Dire on the right, again

One thing is certain, even when Milan achieved positive results, their right-hand side was sub-par at best and it was no different against Roma.

Emerson was, again, shaky at the back and was lucky that the opponents did not pounce on his sloppiness. His participation in the attack was as always, non-productive – certainly a poor game from the Brazilian.

His partner on the wing – Chukwueze, had a slightly more positive outing this time around, although he set the bar low himself, so it’s not that hard to have a better performance compared to the norm.

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Whilst he had a couple of good moments there was nothing worth mentioning and it was overshadowed by his injury in the second half, which if serious leaves the right flank very deprived since Pulisic is also out for the time being.

2. The management’s Morata disaster

The Spaniard had a couple of good moments but overall he was very poor, again, as he killed a lot of attacks.

In some ways, it’s funny because he does work a lot so he can be in potentially dangerous situations, but then his ball control lets him down too many times for a player of his calibre and stature.

If he had a year or two-year contract to help the younger players with his experience, whilst having a less required presence on the pitch as his age progressed, it could’ve been good. But the management decided to give him a five-year contract until 2028, which is a really poor decision and now they will have to suffer the consequences because the transfer is clearly not working out thus far.

The only positive is that if Milan were to find a new club for Morata then they wouldn’t lose money since he joined as a free agent, but that’s probably wishful thinking at this point in time.

3. Jimenez continues to impress

The youngster was called upon when Fonseca decided to bench Theo and so far the Spaniard has not disappointed, showing great potential and confidence in both phases of the game.

In the last game and a half he has also played as a left winger, which is certainly not his preferred position, but he has done very well regardless and has been probably a top-three player for Milan in the last few games. However, whether he has faced much competition is another thing in itself.

With both Emerson and Calabria not up to the needed level, it will be interesting to see if Conceicao will try the youngster on the right flank as he seems to have the quality to help improve that side whilst Theo and Leao are more than capable on the left.

4. Tijji and Fofana pivotal again

The Dutchman managed to grab yet another goal with a lovely finish and probably could’ve done a bit better other than the goal as he faded a bit in the second half, but regardless he kept his cool in the right moment and finished off a lovely Milan attack to put his side in front.

His partner – Youssouf Fofana – also continued his positive form as he provided the assist for the goal, which also showcased his high work rates as the Frenchman made a very good run. Alongside this, he followed up with a lot of interceptions and with Jimenez and Reijnders was probably the best Milan player on the pitch.

As it stands, Fofana seems to be the only positive decision the management made in preparation for the 2024/25 season.

5. Abraham did well off the bench

The Englishman has had a mixed first half of the season with some very good performances and then some difficult situations – taking a penalty kick instead of Pulisic, for example, as well as being injured for a bit.

Despite his numbers not being better than those of Morata, the Englishman just looks much better every time he’s on the pitch. He’s faster, better on the ball and links well with his teammates for the most part.

The team moves quicker and seems sharper with Abraham, and if he is given more playing time and manages to stay fit, then he might just pick up the pace and start bagging the goals as well.