Time flies, and before we know it, 2024 is about to say goodbye to us. At this end of the year and the beginning of the new year, for the European football world, some leagues and teams have entered the winter break, while others still have to complete various competitions.
Now that the season is halfway through, some big-name teams' performances have not met expectations, putting pressure on their coaches. For example, Pep Guardiola of Manchester City, Ange Postecoglou of Tottenham Hotspur, Omer Toprak of Borussia Dortmund, Andrea Pirlo of Juventus, and even Jose Mourinho of Fenerbahce have faced criticism and the potential of being sacked. However, it is not uncommon for big-name teams to change coaches this season. After Manchester United, Roma, and Valencia, another strong team has changed its head coach.
This team is the Serie A giant AC Milan. At 3:45 am Beijing time on December 30th, the 18th round of Serie A continued, with a focus match where "Rossoneri" AC Milan drew 1-1 at home against the visiting "Giallorossi" Roma. In the last four rounds of Serie A, they only managed one victory. Currently, after 17 games, they have 7 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses, accumulating 27 points and ranking eighth in the league table. After the game, AC Milan's head coach Paulo Fonseca personally admitted that he had been fired by the club, ending his short tenure at AC Milan that lasted less than six months.
This summer, the old coach Stefano Pioli, who coached AC Milan for four years, announced his departure. Subsequently, Milan chose the 51-year-old Paulo Fonseca as the new head coach. He had helped teams win championships during his coaching stints at Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, and Braga, and also had experience in Serie A with Roma. However, just half a season later, the experienced championship-winning coach was fired by the club due to poor results. During this period, Fonseca led AC Milan in 24 matches across all competitions, with a record of 12 wins, 6 draws, and 6 losses, a win rate of 50%, ranking eighth in Serie A, twelfth in the UEFA Champions League, and reaching the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.
After firing Fonseca, AC Milan quickly confirmed their new head coach, the 50-year-old Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição. It is reported that both parties will sign a contract lasting until June 2025, with an extension clause. Conceição has served as the head coach of teams such as Braga, Nantes, and Guimarães, and had a seven-season coaching stint at Porto, helping the team win a total of 11 championship trophies, including the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Portuguese Cup, and Portuguese League Cup, making him a meritorious coach for the club. After his contract expired this summer, Conceição has been unemployed at home.
Taking up the position of AC Milan head coach marks Conceição's first time coaching in the Italian league. It remains to be seen whether he can quickly adapt to a new league, but it is certain that with Conceição's tough personality, he can at least play a role in stabilizing the Milan dressing room. As a player, Conceição once played for Inter Milan, and currently, his son plays for Juventus, so it can be said that Conceição has close ties with many top Serie A teams. We also look forward to this Portuguese coach leading Milan out of the trough as soon as possible.