AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca could be on the brink of being fired after his side suffered a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League. The Italian heavyweights initially led with a goal from Christian Pulisic but couldn't hold back the tide as the Premier League powerhouse roared back to secure an easy win.
This blow has left Fonseca teetering on the edge just before the high-stakes clash in the upcoming Milan derby, with rumors swirling that another disappointing performance might see him ousted. Fresh reports suggest that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, senior adviser at the club, is already touching base with Edin Terzic, previously of Borussia Dortmund, as a possible replacement.
Sky Germany marks Terzic, once eyed by AS Roma, as a potential successor if Fonseca's tenure is cut short, only months post-his arrival ordained by Milan's hierarchy, even though we are only a few games into the new campaign. It's been a rocky introduction to Italian football, with a lean five-point haul across his first four Serie A outings and the midweek defeat adding to the pressure on the ex-Lille manager.
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Assuming an administrative mantle since December 2023, Ibrahimovic set the record straight before Liverpool's meeting: "I am the boss and I am in charge, all the others work for me."
Fonseca was candid in his post-match analysis, expressing disappointment at how his side capitulated after conceding Liverpool's second goal by Virgil van Dijk just before half-time. Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the result in the second period.
Facing the media, Fonseca admitted: "We played against Liverpool, who are a huge team. We started well, both attacking and defending, but then we conceded two goals from set plays that changed the game.
"We lost our mental balance. When the team lacks confidence, we develop problems and don't do what we prepared in training. I told the players, you cannot make those mistakes in this kind of game.
"At the same time, I have to admit Liverpool are more of a team right now than we are, we need to keep working to have not 20 good minutes, but 70, 80, 90 minutes playing our football. After we conceded the second goal, the team stopped playing, and it became difficult after that."
