After three matches, Milan is at the top of a particular ranking. It's the one where being at the top is rather painful: the goals conceded table. With six goals allowed in the first three games, the Rossoneri are tied with Atalanta (who conceded four goals in one match against Inter) and Lecce for the worst defense in the league. One of the major issues with Pioli last season has persisted and even worsened under Fonseca at the start of this season. It is crucial to address this.
Milan's defence is a priority - It must improve
This morning, Gazzetta dello Sport, while beginning to preview the match against Venezia on Saturday at 20:45 at San Siro, writes about the Milan's current priorities: "first commandment: defend."
The Rossoneri need to sort out their defensive setup once and for all and find balance. Improving their defensive phase could also bring tangible benefits to the offensive side of the team.
To address this, Paulo Fonseca has worked during the break and is working on a more cautious Milan. Except for Theo and Pavlovic, all other defenders stayed at Milanello during this pause, and the Portuguese coach has planned a more compact and cautious team, similar to what was seen with Lazio in the first half.
This approach will help fine-tune the mechanisms and regain confidence. The next step will be to set up a dominant team as Ibra and Fonseca had announced. However, without a solid foundation, dominance is never achieved.
The Milan players available to Fonseca...
Gazzetta then reviews the players available to Fonseca, those the Portuguese coach can rely on in this early part of the season. The main starters seem to be Fikayo Tomori and Strahinja Pavlovic. While this choice might seem obvious, especially for the English player who has been somewhat inconsistent, Matteo Gabbia presents a real challenge. Gabbia is currently the third choice in the department, the first reserve.
The Italian center-back has not yet played a single minute this year despite being one of the best from January onwards last season. Then there is Malick Thiaw, who is recovering from an injury and has also shown inconsistent performances. Regardless of the individual players, the defensive work must be a team effort and should start with the coach. Only in this way can Milan hope to give Maignan some quieter nights.
