If Paulo Fonseca is relieved, Arne Slot is upset: the Portuguese coach obtained his first victory at the helm of AC Milan on Saturday before facing his Dutch colleague in the Champions League on Tuesday, September 16, who, at the same time, conceded his first defeat at the helm of Liverpool.
Having spent two seasons in Serie A at AS Roma between 2019 and 2021, Fonseca, 51, already knew that things were moving very quickly in Italy. But the former Lille coach, who took over from Stefano Pioli in June, was still surprised to find himself under pressure after picking up just two points from three games.
It took his chairman and owner Gerry Cardinale publicly giving him his support after a worrying 2-2 draw against Lazio for Milan's demanding fans to give him time to find his feet.
The demonstration against promoted Venice, outclassed 4-0 on Saturday, has since transformed the reprieve into respite, with the Rossoneri now in ninth position in their championship before facing the Reds.
A remake of the incredible finale in 2005
The duels between AC Milan and Liverpool often mark the history of the C1: two of their four previous confrontations took place in a final, the legendary one in Istanbul in 2005 won on penalties by the Reds after being led 3-0, then the Milanese revenge of 2007.
If he wants to be part of Liverpool's glorious history and definitively turn the page on his predecessor Jürgen Klopp, still revered for his style of play, his track record and his closeness with the supporters, Slot, 45, knows that his team must shine on the European stage.
Winning against the second most successful team in the history of the competition (7 times, 1 more than Liverpool) at San Siro would send a strong signal. But they are approaching their first European meeting with their confidence eroded. While they had been flawless up until then (3 wins, 7 goals scored and none conceded), the Reds fell hard on Saturday when they lost at home to Nottingham Forest (1-0).
