Milan Still Reluctant to Sack Paulo Fonseca Despite Miserable Serie A Campaign | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca’s managerial tenure at Milan has been among the major talking points in Serie A this season. Despite the club’s impressive UEFA Champions League renaissance, immense domestic issues keep the Portuguese tactician on a tight leash.

Fonseca has quickly become an unpopular figure among the Milan fanbase. Indeed, the Rossoneri have been notoriously inconsistent under the 51-year-old’s stewardship and are already out of the Scudetto picture. Furthermore, his frosty relationship with star players Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao has only fueled the row.

Tijjani Reijnders’ match-winner against Hellas Verona on Friday evening offered Fonseca a much-needed respite following a tepid 0-0 home draw against Genoa. To make things worse, Milan had hoped to paint their 125th anniversary with flying colors but instead left numerous club icons in the stands disappointed.

According to Calciomercato journalist Daniele Longo, Fonseca remains under scrutiny. However, Milan chiefs are not ready to relieve him of his duties yet. Friday’s narrow 1-0 victory at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi threw the ex-Roma boss a lifeline, but he’s not out of the woods.

Milan will sign off for 2024 with a must-win home clash against his former club, Roma, next week. Anything other than three points would reignite the pressure on Fonseca. Four consecutive triumphs in the Champions League have been the only saving grace.

But Milan’s agonizing situation in Serie A keeps Fonseca under the microscope. The Rossoneri fans won’t settle for anything less than a top-four finish. That’s the ultimate goal, considering Milan need the prize money from Europe’s elite competition to keep their books in order.