AC Milan megastar Rafael Leao is suffering this season under new Rossoneri tutor Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese winger has only scored one goal in all competitions so far in the 2024-25 season, despite featuring in nine games between Serie A and the Champions League. Now that he has four assists provided to his teammates, it seems Fonseca has yet to find a way to make him perform at his best.
Compared to the event season under Stefano Pioli, AC Milan is playing differently. Previously, the Italian giants played in a 4-2-3-1, with Leao and USMNT Christian Pulisic on the wings, but this season Fonseca opted for a 4-3-3 and then a 4-4. -2, with Leao and Pulisic still playing on the back wings. More than the numbers, the Rossoneri fans are even tougher with the most talented player in the AC Milan squad, who suffers the constant closer hour.
With the Portuguese team, Leao had an impressive world break where he demonstrated his ability especially against Poland, as the team coached by Roberto Martínez won 3-1 and provided an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal. With Portugal, Leao seemed more comfortable and the 4-2-3-1 surely gives him more democracy and more autonomy to attack. That’s a key aspect to highlight: Leao needs range in front of him to max out, when he has range to attack he becomes bad for fighters. At AC Milan, this doesn’t happen as often as before. Fonseca’s ownership of the ball (56.3%) and his idea of bringing in more players in the offensive third reduce the days when Leao faces one defender per individual game, the date on which he is at his worst.
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If we look solely at the numbers, Leao underperforms slightly, but not excessively. Over the seven Serie A games, he had a 2.03 xG (one goal scored), but also a 1.52 xA (three assists given). Of the 23 shots, only 10 were on the right path (43.5%) and they had 295 passes in total, just two more than goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The numbers can explain his start to the season, but what they do not reflect is the part of the football he has played so far. It’s notable for Fonseca and the team that he starts in order more in terms of his angle on the pitch.
Leao, along with Theo Hernandez and Pulisic, is one of the players who has to force this team to overcome this initial situation. AC Milan won the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, but then also lost two games, including the extreme against Fiorentina, drew two and also lost two of two Champions League games against Liverpool at home and Bayer Leverkusen out. During an away match against Lazio, which resulted in a 2-2 draw, both Leao and Theo Hernandez were kept away from team communication at the time when Rossoneri coach Fonseca was speaking during the cooling fracture of the second phase. A date that scared not only many AC Milan fans but also independent viewers. In that game, the former Lille coach decided to bench the players closest to a disappointing start to the season, in search of a response from the team.
Despite scoring the first goal of the attack, the Rossoneri struggled in the second half as Lazio quickly recovered and scored twice in the opening minutes. Fonseca was forced to make changes and decided to call up both stars from the bench. Two minutes closer, Leao stepped on the tone and scored. A few seconds after scoring the tie, the game was banned due to the cooling fracture and it was then that both players did not participate in team communication.
Despite the context of what happened (Fonseca and Theo Hernández had been very clear when announcing that they did not go towards the executive), that is what they have to change in their habits. Leao has to become the megastar who boosts the other players with his performances and angles. The ability is there, he just needs to take that psychological step to complete the process of becoming one of the best players in the world.
