Fonseca to trust 2 youngsters against Genoa and punishes Theo
Paulo Fonseca took aim at his players after the Champions League match and is set to make a couple of changes for AC Milan vs Genoa.
AC Milan won but did not convince in the last match played at San Siro against Crevena Zvezda. The performance in the Champions League greatly disappointed coach Paulo Fonseca, who did not hide his state of mind in the many post-match interviews. His words caused a lot of noise and there is great curiosity to know what kind of reaction the team will have tomorrow against Genoa.
The Portuguese coach openly accused his players of underperformance and lack of commitment that is intolerable at these levels. The criticism of Paulo Fonseca was aimed at two players in particular: Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria. Is it no secret that the relationship between Fosenca and the Spanish left back is at minimum terms while on Calabria the club has decided to let him leave on a free transfer at the end of the season. Perhaps not a very wise decision considering that €15 million were invested for Emerson but the Brazilian has been a downgrade over Calabria so far.
The first to “pay” for the wrong attitude shown is going to be Theo Hernandez. Fonseca has decided to bench him for the upcoming Serie A match against Genoa. Davide Calabria will return on the bench as well but in reality the AC Milan captain has featured only on rare occasions this season. Instead, two youngsters are expected to make their season debut with the first team tomorrow.
The highly rated Spanish left back Alex Jimenez will take over from Theo Hernandez. Jimenez has been training with the first team in recent days and should start from the first minute against Genoa with Emerson Royal on the right and Gabbia and Thiaw at the heart of the defence. A great opportunity for Alex Jimenez who did really well when given the chance last season and is seen as the long term heir to Theo Hernandez.
Another talented player that has featured regularly in the recent training sessions is Mattia Liberali. The 17-year-old elegant attacking midfielder excelled in the pre-season friendly matches with AC Milan and despite his young age is already a ley player for Italy U-19. Unlike Jimenez, Mattia Liberali will very likely be given the chance to showcase his talent during the second half.
AC MILAN Probable XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan, Emerson Royal, Gabbia, Thiaw, Jimenez, Fofana, Musah, Chukwueze, Reijnders, Rafael Leao, Abraham.
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