AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by Roma at San Siro on Sunday, amid intensifying speculation over Paulo Fonseca’s future at the club.
Tijjani Reijnders gave us the lead in the first half, but the visitors were level just seven minutes later as Paulo Dybala secured a share of the spoils for the Giallorossi.
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The point leaves us in eighth place in the Serie A standings, eight points adrift of the top four, and while our focus now switches to the Italian Super Cup to start 2025, we’ll certainly be looking for a better result when we host Cagliari on January 11 as we can’t continue to be so inconsistent and drop points.
Difficult climate as Milan faithful continue to protest
It can’t have been an easy environment on Sunday night, as not only did the San Siro faithful make their displeasure known with jeers and boos at half-time and at the end of the game, but there were chants in protest against the ownership during the encounter too.
That would have made it a difficult situation for the players, and seeing Fonseca sent off in the first half didn’t help either as we struggled to keep our composure and control.
Admittedly, the officiating was abysmal too as there were a number of questionable decisions throughout, but tempers flared and from a Milan perspective, it was a tough night for all concerned.
Fonseca’s Milan still lacking balance
Despite now having had a number of months to really impose his ideas and identity, we’re still seeing a soft Milan side from a defensive perspective that looks vulnerable and exposed too often.
We showed some encouraging signs of quality in transition and looked a threat on the counter-attack, as seen with our goal, but that all-important balance is still missing from this team as we can’t afford to be so open.
While we had chances of our own to win the game, largely from long-distance efforts, Roma went close themselves in the latter stages, and so the fact that we’re still searching for a solid foundation is concerning.
Reijnders shows his class again
That’s now nine goals and three assists in 23 appearances for the Dutchman so far this season, as he continues to showcase his class on a consistent basis.
He took his goal brilliantly as he applied a clinical finish to complete our counter attack, and he looked a threat on other occasions too as we went in search of improving our advantage.
With his technical ability combined with his tenacity and work ethic, the 26-year-old’s development and bigger influence this season have been big positives thus far.
Great to see Bennacer make his comeback
Having been sidelined since August 17 by injury, it was great to see Ismael Bennacer make his comeback and get valuable minutes as he looks to re-estabish himself in the line-up.
Roma cut through our midfield far too easily in the first half, and so although he’ll need time and consistent minutes to get back up to speed and rediscover his best form, the Algerian international’s presence in the Milan midfield is going to be fundamental moving forward.
It will be interesting to see how that impacts our tactical set-up, particularly as others start returning from their own injury issues to bolster our numbers and give us different solutions, but it’s an important boost for the Rossoneri to have Bennacer back.
Big question marks linger over Rossoneri
Speculation spread prior to kick-off that raised doubts over Fonseca’s future, and they merely intensified after the full-time whistle as the expectation is that he will be replaced, as per Gianluca Di Marzio.
Not only has it been suggested by various reporters that Fonseca will be dismissed, but an agreement is said to already be in place with Sergio Conceicao, and so a lot must be cleared up going into the New Year.
Based on what we’ve seen to this point and the lack of improvement in addressing key issues, it feels like the right decision. However, it doesn’t reflect well on the hierarchy, and the pressure will certainly be high on Conceicao if a change is made official in the coming days as he’ll need to make his mark quickly to appease a frustrated fanbase due to issues on and off the pitch.
