Football Season Guide

When they started the campaign, last season, Milan had great expectations but it was clear right from the beginning that things would not have easy for them. In fact, coach Paulo Fonseca looked incapable of governing his squad and immediately came at odds with some key players like Rafa Leao and Hernandez. On the field, Milan were pretty inconsistent as they seldom managed to win more than 2 games straight, thus falling too far away from the top 4 and the teams fighting for the Scudetto. Come the New Year, Paulo Fonseca was sacked and replaced by Sergio Conceiçao, who had known Italian football as a player. His impact on the squad was terrific as he led them to an unexpected triumph in the Super Cup. It was just an illusion, though, as Milan stuttered again and finished the season poorly, losing the Coppa Italia final to Bologna and failing to make the next European competitions. Conceiçao was thus let go and Max Allegri returned to the club after more than a decade, having spent the last season on vacation. In order to fund their restoration, Milan had to sacrifice a few stars. At the back, starting centre-back Thiaw was let go together with both starting full-backs, Emerson, who played too little due to injury, and Hernandez, who will not be missed for his lack of commitment to the cause in the recent past. Thus, Estupinan, arrived from Brighton, and Saelemaekers, returning after the end of his loan, should be the new full-backs while strengthening is needed in the heart of the defence, where they signed De Winter from Genoa. The midfield lost key Reijnders, who had left a mark with 15 goals and 5 assists, but saw the arrival of Ricci, Jashari and ageing Modric, who should provide experience and leadership, which was missed last season. The attack lost Joao Felix, Jovic and Abraham, who will not be missed, while talented Camarda was loaned out. They are still hunting for a potential starter, considering that Gimenez did not impress and Leao is still a question mark.