Fabio Capello, former AC Milan coach, commented in the pages of La Gazzetta dello Sport recently on the managerial change at the Rossoneri: Paulo Fonseca out, Sergio Conceição in.
"Anyone who has been a coach knows how it works: you’re always the first to pay when things go wrong," Capello explained.
He then tried to summarize Fonseca’s six-month experience on Milan’s bench.
How much blame does Fonseca bear? Capello replied:
"Tactically, his team struggled to find balance on the pitch, somewhat similar to what happened with Stefano Pioli for much of last season. But I believe the dismissal happened for another reason, beyond the obviously disappointing results," wrote Capello. "The lack of connection with the most important players. Fonseca tried to be tough, to make strong decisions when he saw that some of his players had the wrong attitudes. For instance, the ‘cooling break’ incident between Theo Hernández and Rafael Leão during Lazio-Milan or the ‘penalty dance’ in Fiorentina-Milan. "These were symptomatic of the internal mood of the team," Capello continued. "Ultimately, the coach couldn’t fix what was wrong. From the outside, it seems clear to me that the locker room leaders weren’t by his side in managing and making decisions. In fact, I think they outright rejected him."
Capello also highlighted a persistent distance between Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimović:
"I remember when, even before the season opener against Torino, the Swede appeared at a press conference declaring, ‘The coach coaches, the club does the rest, and the market closes when I say it does.’ This seemed to underline the non-centrality of the coach in squad planning. That’s not the right foundation to start a good season together."
"Today," Capello insisted, "Fonseca pays the price for everyone, leaving the bench to the ‘tough and pragmatic’ Conceição. A coach I particularly liked when he faced Italian teams in the Champions League, despite practically losing key players to sales every year."
Capello then remarked on Conceição’s arrival:
"The change on the bench removes excuses for the players themselves. The fans have had enough, and with this move, the club is telling the players that wrong attitudes will no longer be tolerated. In this sense, Conceição has an advantage over Fonseca. Another boost might come from the January transfer market, though I’ve always believed that buying for the sake of buying is pointless. What can Milan do? If I had to suggest one purchase today, it would be a winger who can provide the same threat on the right as on the left. Although Conceição might also shift Christian Pulisic back to the wing."
