ANOTHER DONE DEAL: AC Milan Has Signed Darwin Núñez After………….read more.
Although Stefano Pioli led Milan to a Scudetto two years ago and nearly guided the Rossoneri to a Champions League final, his tenure was destined to end after a lackluster 2023-24 season that fizzled out.
Milan managed just one win in their final nine games across all competitions, leading to growing calls for change.
With former Roma coach Paulo Fonseca now at the helm and Zlatan Ibrahimovic taking an influential role in the boardroom, Milan are determined to close the gap on city rivals Inter, who finished 19 points ahead last season.
Fonseca has already impressed, securing wins in high-profile friendlies against Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona this summer. Milan concluded their pre-season with a 3-1 victory over Monza in the Trofeo Berlusconi on Tuesday.
Fonseca’s Lille side boasted the most clean sheets in Ligue 1 last season (22) and scored the second-most goals, trailing only Paris Saint-Germain, suggesting a Rossoneri resurgence could be on the horizon in 2024-25.
The Portuguese coach seems poised for a successful start on Saturday, with Milan having won their last four Serie A openers and remaining unbeaten in 28 home league matches against Torino.
Torino’s last away victory over Milan in Serie A was in March 1985, though they did secure a 3-1 win against the Rossoneri in Turin last May.
Former coach Ivan Juric departed on sour terms with the club’s management, despite a successful tenure that saw Torino finish just shy of European qualification and record 18 clean sheets, their best tally in nearly 50 years.
With defensive stalwart Alessandro Buongiorno also gone, new coach Paolo Vanoli faces the challenge of keeping Torino in the top 10. Vanoli, who previously served as Antonio Conte’s assistant with Italy and Inter, led Venezia to promotion through last season’s Serie B playoffs. After winning his first competitive match with Torino in a 2-0 Coppa Italia triumph over Cosenza last week, Vanoli now aims to cause an upset in Milan.