Fonseca’s pros and cons outweighed by the need for support from above

AC Milan have decided that Paulo Fonseca is the man that they want to be their next head coach, and beyond the positives and negatives of the appointment there is the need to show him support.

La Gazzetta dello Sport write that Milan were consistent because they never deviated too much from the initial identikit, one that led them to Julen Lopetegui before they turned away: they want a coach who is good with young players, can work with the management and has an attacking style.

In recent weeks the Milan fans have realized that the coach of their dreams would not arrive as names like Antonio Conte, Sergio Conceiçao and others vanished from the list. A more significant name was expected by many, a statement of ambition.

That’s not to say that Fonseca will not ask for players suited to his idea of ​​play because he certainly will, but he will not put the club in difficulty during the first press conference, as certain big names in the dugout often do.

He has a fair amount of international experience with Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Lille, and above all knowledge of the league having coached Roma for two seasons before Jose Mourinho’s arrival.

Even in the capital he was greeted by a certain scepticism, yet his Roma played good football and – despite missing the Champions League places in his two-year period – reached the semi-final of the Europa League (eliminated by Manchester United), with a squad significantly inferior to the ones Mourinho had.

If the Stadio Olimpico and the Roma environment are certainly not easy, San Siro and the Milan one are even less so due to the expectations of the fans and the counterweight of Inter. Will Fonseca have the broad shoulders and personality to withstand any critical phases?