GdS: Milan turn Sassuolo game into a training session – Fonseca’s plan works perfectly | OneFootball

Many AC Milan fans would have been happy with just a comfortable and stress-free cup win over Sassuolo, but instead they were treated to a show.

As this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes, the result speaks for itself: Milan won 6-1 against Sassuolo at San Siro and qualified without any difficulty for the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia.

It was a perfect evening for the Rossoneri who managed to put into action the prepared plan and to use as little energy as possible. In addition to this, it is also the way in which the team won that gives hope, putting a lesser opponent to the sword.

The game plan devised by Paulo Fonseca was a perfect success in the eyes of the paper. In view of Friday’s match against Atalanta, the Portuguese coach decided to make eight changes, but he kept Tijjani Reijnders, Youssouf Fofana and Rafael Leao in.

The message was very clear: start strong and then manage things after that. It was a strategy that was a perfect success with Milan already leading by four goals after 23 minutes. In games like this, the approach and attitude are fundamental in order not to get bogged down.

The fact that after the 3-0 win over Empoli (in which Milan were 2-0 up at the break) there was also a serious and decisive approach to the match against Sassuolo could mean that something has changed from a mentality point of view. Fonseca also suggested this after the game.

The coach’s choices and a devastating attacking show in the first 23 minutes meant that the rest of the match turned into a competitive training session. It helped to get Samuel Chukwueze and Tammy Abraham some confidence, plus Davide Calabria and Filippo Terracciano.

The team showed signs of growth in their attitude, but the decisive test to find out if something has really changed will come on Friday against Atalanta. Beating Empoli and Sassuolo is one thing, but at the Gewiss Stadium perhaps the most dangerous and in-form team in the league await.