Friday revealed the Champions League opponents that AC Milan will have to face, and what it produced is a daunting 20-day stretch for a team that is currently lost at sea.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how Milan will return from the international break in just under two weeks and then they will face Venezia at San Siro in a game that is absolutely must-win given the fact that only two points have been amassed from a possible nine.
Then, in the next 20 days, the road gets more bumpy: Liverpool, Inter, Bayer Leverkusen and Fiorentina are on the agenda, with Lecce to break it up. The Rossoneri will play every four days and they are all away matches, except Liverpool and Lecce (and Inter will be at San Siro).
It is a daunting run of games, especially after this terrible start. Paulo Fonseca would rather have prepared to face the likes of Mo Salah, Lautaro Martinez and Florian Wirtz when his team had some confidence and semblance of defensive structure.
Some high-intensity moments in Stefano Pioli’s tensure come to mind. Roma, Inter and Juventus in 10 days in April. Juventus, PSG, Napoli and PSG again in 17 days last Autumn. Sometimes it happens and you risk paying the price.
Milan arrived at the derby a year ago in great condition and conviction, then conceded five goals and three days later played that cursed match against Newcastle at San Siro, with the ball never going in. In half a week, the tone of the entire season changed.
Fonseca will have to think about how to manage the run of fixtures, because logic says to increase the rotations and then some players will be more important than others. Alvaro Morata for example must be managed as he will return from an injury, so will likely not start one of the Venezia-Liverpool-Inter trio.
Youssouf Fofana – who would ideally stay to work on his condition – went to play with France and will return tired, not rested. For him too, wise management is recommended.
