Former Milan coaches Fabio Capello and Arrigo Sacchi analyse what is going wrong at the club, give Paulo Fonseca advice and fear the team has ‘exactly the same’ problems as before.
The Rossoneri were at one stage the club with the most international trophies in the world, thanks mainly to the efforts of Sacchi and Capello, followed by Carlo Ancelotti.
However, in recent years the Diavolo has stuttered and was trying to reboot under Paulo Fonseca, but managed just two points from the opening three Serie A rounds.
“After a year of seeing the team unbalanced, without organisation and conceding too many goals, they have started this season in exactly the same way, totally lacking in balance,” Capello explained in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“As my friend Ottavio Missoni says, it is all the fault of the midfield.”
Fonseca’s men had impressed in pre-season with several big wins, but fell apart as soon as they entered genuinely competitive fixtures.
“I had kidded myself seeing the first half against Lazio, when the team appeared to move quite well. The second half was horrific, a team that simply did not move as a team,” added Sacchi.
“There was no pressing at all, even if in Italy very few teams press properly. They do it in fits and starts, but that doesn’t tire out the opponents at all.”
Capello and Sacchi slam Milan stars
Milan hit the headlines after the 2-2 draw with Lazio when Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez came off the bench, combined to score within 30 seconds, then stood on the opposite side of the pitch during the cooling break.
Both former coaches don’t buy the story that they didn’t require a cooling break, as they were the only players standing separately from the coach.
“When these things happen, the club is missing,” said Sacchi.
“When I arrived at Milan, Silvio Berlusconi called the whole squad over and spoke for precisely 27 seconds. ‘Sacchi has my full confidence. Those who follow him will remain, those who don’t can leave. Good work, everyone.’
“Fonseca has to give some character to this team, hoping that the new signings are more suited to the type of football he wants to play.”
Capello also agrees that it is the coach who must “resolve the situation and get the players to follow him. Those two were stomping their little feet, like kids having a tantrum.”