From the euphoria of success at Santiago-Bernabeu against Real Madrid in the Champions League to the intense disappointment of yet another failed match in Serie A against Cagliari (3-3). With an increasingly worrying strainer defense. AC Milan approaches this international break with a lot of regrets, reflections on decisions to be made urgently in order to try to reverse the irregular form in the championship. At the end of the match at the Unipol Domus in Sardinia, Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca pointed out his team’s poor defensive phases. After complicated first matches in September and October, the former LOSC coach granted himself a reprieve thanks to AC Milan’s victory in the derby against Inter (2-1) on September 22. But Zlatan Ibrahimović has already sounded the alarm: “We work as before, that does not change. Fonseca has to be himself, they (the players) have to resolve some things internally, they are professionals. Some situations are dynamic, they are not predictable. When this happens, you have to see how you react. The important thing is to be professional on the ground”. Since then, water has flowed under the bridges of Navigli with as many ups as downs and the Rossoneri are still having a little trouble finding their beautiful colors with this sad 7th place.
After being discreet during the first major crisis at the start of the season, Zlatan Ibrahimović, senior advisor to the RedBird fund for AC Milan, is becoming increasingly vocal in public: “I believe in the project. I believe in what Milan represents and I think I share the same vision of the people who work there and the property, because they want to do extraordinary things. They want to make history. When it comes to winning, that’s when I feel alive, because I want to win: I will do anything to win and I won’t give up until then. I’m getting better at perspective. I cannot influence or contribute on the ground, I work from the outside and I have a lot to learn. I approach this new situation with humility, step by step, and I feel connected to Milan. in a special way even after my career, and I want to do great things with Milan», he insisted again recently in an interview with the magazine UEFA Champions League before the match won by the Rossoneri against Real Madrid on November 5 (3-1).
A decisive calendar to come
Present at the official presentation ceremony of the Kings League Italy in Turin, Zlatan Ibrahimović returned to his team’s recent crisis. If the Rossoneri have pocketed valuable successes, they are still struggling to gain consistency in Serie A: “Milan is a constant work in progress. We work to ensure balance and stability. We can do better, but we’re growing and that’s what we want to continue doing. What needs to be improved? Balance. There were results in several matches that should not have happened. It is both a mental and playing balance that we are developing given that this has changed. Could something happen in the transfer window? Everyone knows everything, everyone has advice, and everyone is an expert. The transfer window is worked on a daily basis, we have a scouting system with which we look at what may be necessary both for the first team and for Milano Futuro. At the moment we are not thinking about January, let’s see what happens in these last two months“, he said. The upcoming schedule is rather tough with the trip to Juventus, the trip to Slovakia to challenge Slovan Bratislava, the entry into the Coppa against Sassuolo and other crucial matches in the league including a match against Atalanta .
This new media release was notably an opportunity to re-explain his relationship with the players and his role on a daily basis. Even if he obviously leaves management to Paulo Fonseca, he continues to be present: “We talk to them a lot. Personally, I talk to them a lot, I have daily contact. It is part of my role to be close to them, to help them, to advise them. There are different dynamics in different situations and that is part of my path. The ambition is to make history. Making history means winning trophies and Milan have historically won many trophies, so it’s something that continues. Obviously we’re aiming for that, but it’s a work in progress. A lot of things have to go smoothly and you have to trust the process because you work differently and in different conditions“, he concluded. For the club’s 125th anniversary, the Swedish legend is thinking very big and will do everything to ensure that this exercise, which has gone poorly, is ultimately historic for the residents of San Siro. Big decisions could come down in the coming weeks.
