Milan 4-0 Venezia
Paulo Fonseca’s first victory as boss of AC Milan was an emphatic one on Saturday evening, with the Rossoneri racing into a four-goal lead inside half an hour against Venezia.
Goals from Theo Hernández, Youssouf Fofana, Christian Pulišić and Tammy Abraham gave Fonseca a much-needed boost ahead of a tough run of fixtures before the next international break.
Fonseca came into the game facing some early scrutiny having failed to win any of his first three Serie A matches against Torino (2-2), Parma (1-2) and Lazio (2-2). Milan’s struggles defensively were a particular point of criticism, so the former Porto manager will be pleased to record a clean sheet along with the three points.
“Our season already started four rounds ago, we dropped points and need to recover lost ground, but it was important to win and to win like this,” Fonseca said. “It gives the players confidence to keep growing,” added Fonseca.
“We can talk about tactics and technique, but energy and attitude are very important for a team that wants to play this type of football. The work done on the pitch was important, but so was studying videos, having conversations in the locker room, it was all important.”
Two players who have come under the spotlight recently are French star full-back Theo Hernández and Portugal forward Rafael Leão. Both players were dropped for the draw at Lazio, before each attracting controversy for not taking part in an on-field tactical briefing shortly after being introduced.
On Saturday, the pair were restored to the line-up and made an immediate impact by combining for Hernández’s opener in the 2nd minute. Speaking on the pair, Fonseca emphasised that his decisions are for the greater benefit of the club and must not be questioned by any of his players in the Milan ranks.
Rafael Leão and Theo Hernandez have come under fire recently. But their link up for Milan’s opener last night was first class.pic.twitter.com/DLkUyUin4l
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) September 15, 2024
“We need to deal with everything in a balanced fashion,” Fonseca said. “My choices are always thinking about what is best for the team. So if I chose not to start Rafa and Theo, as I did against Lazio, they have to understand as they did in the last game, because I always think about the team first. They are very important players and proved today just how important they are for us, but in families you do not always agree on everything, the important thing is to focus on what is best for everyone.”
The big matches keep on coming for Fonseca’s side. Before the next international break in October, Milan will play Liverpool (h), Internazionale (a), Lecce (h), Bayer Leverkusen (a) and Fiorentina (a) as the Portuguese tactician juggles Serie A and the Champions League.
“I have to be honest, I already started thinking about both games against Liverpool and Inter. I realise the importance of the derby, Liverpool will be very difficult, but I cannot deny I have already started studying Inter too.
“I know what it means to the fans, we are working to have good performances in both matches.”
Former Milan boss Fabio Capello wrote on Sunday morning that “the bar has been raised” with Milan’s performance, with the legendary boss adding “they have to be careful” ahead of the Liverpool and Inter matches.
By @SeanGillen9
