“Fonseca Laments Defensive Woes in Milan’s Upset Loss to Parma”
Paulo Fonseca voiced his frustration with Milan’s defensive display in their surprising 2-1 defeat to Parma on Saturday. The match began poorly for Milan, with Dennis Man scoring for Parma just 83 seconds in.
Despite Christian Pulisic leveling the score shortly after the hour mark, Parma secured the win through a late goal by substitute Matteo Cancellieri. This victory was Parma’s first over Milan in Serie A since March 2014.
Fonseca stressed that the defensive issues extended beyond just the defenders, pointing to both collective and individual lapses across the team. While Milan created more chances at Stadio Ennio Tardini, their accuracy was lacking, with only five of their 17 shots hitting the target.
Parma, with fewer attempts, matched Milan’s shots on target. Milan also fell short of their expected goals (xG) by 1.01, squandering three key chances and hitting the post.
Fonseca was baffled by the team’s underwhelming performance, especially after a strong week of preparation. “The team works well during the week, and I expect to see progress in the game,” he remarked.
However, he acknowledged that conceding an early goal negatively impacted the team’s defensive mindset throughout the match. Parma dominated duels with a 54.4% success rate, outshining Milan’s 45.6%.
This stat further underscored Milan’s struggles during the game. Fonseca highlighted that losing possession too easily gave Parma opportunities to attack, even while defending deep.
Calling for Collective Improvement
Fonseca emphasized the need for teamwork to fix these problems. “We defended poorly throughout the match,” he said, citing issues with attitude, preventive marking, and a lack of coordinated defensive recoveries.