First episode: Milanello, the eve of Milan-Torino, first day of the championship. Zlatan Ibrahimovic gathers the team and speaks to them, as he did when he was a player. It’s him and them. Fonseca was not present, writes Gazzetta.
Second episode: San Siro Stadium, Milan-Torino, August 17. Fonseca had spoken the day before about the "market being closed for me", but Ibrahimovic, at Fofana’s presentation, says otherwise: "The coach does his job, and the club does the rest... The market closes when I say it closes. We are on day 6 out of 7."
Fonseca is displeased and informs the club. A few days later, Abraham, whom he greatly appreciates, will arrive in exchange for Saelemaekers, whom he valued.
Third episode: Eve of Milan-Liverpool, after the win over Venezia. Ibra returns from two weeks away from the team and speaks to the players again. He says that, even though he was away, he remains the boss and asks how things are going with the coach.
These three moments in Milan's life, one public, the other two behind closed doors, show that finding a balance between Ibrahimovic and Fonseca is not easy. Ibra is abrasive, mainly refers to himself, and does not consider compromise. He started this adventure wanting to be the protagonist and always highlights this in interviews.
It’s as if the Swede just follows his own path, a way of being a manager that’s far from rules and protocols. In several clubs, the club itself decides the market, leaving the coach with very little power, but no one points this out publicly. It’s normal that the coach doesn’t take it well.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport on their website
