According to Fonseca, Milan's performance against Liverpool did not align with the strategy.

Paulo Fonseca admits Milan did not adhere to the 'plan' prepared against Liverpool when attacking or defending, causing them to 'lose mental balance' during their Champions League collapse.

The coach was already under fire after only two points in his first three Serie A rounds and believed the 4-0 victory over Venezia was the start of a new era, especially when Christian Pulisic put them ahead within three minutes of their Champions League debut against Liverpool.

However, they conceded two identical goals from Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk, both free headers on set plays, and Dominik Szoboszlai completed a counter-attack for 3-1.

"We played against Liverpool, a strong team. We started well, both attacking and defending, but then we let up two goals from set pieces, which transformed the game," Fonseca told Sky Sport Italia.

"We lost our mental equilibrium because when a team lacks confidence, difficulties arise and we fail to perform as planned in training.

"I reminded the guys that you can't make those blunders in this type of game. At the same time, I must confess that Liverpool is a better team right now than we are; we must continue to work hard to play 70, 80, or 90 minutes of football.

"After we conceded the second goal, the team stopped playing, and it becomes difficult after that."

Fonseca acknowledges Milan went off script.

Given that both goals came from set plays, was Milan adopting zonal marking?

"The first goal was individual marking, which we prepared for their central defenders. Fonseca shrugged, "That was the plan anyway."

It was highlighted that Rafael Leao would face Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Milan scarcely served the Portugal international, preferring to play down the right. Was this part of Fonseca's plan?

"It was something we planned in the limited time we had: try to place Leao against their right-back. We did it once or twice during the match. What we planned was to send Rafa one-on-one against him, but we barely did it."

The team was further disturbed when Mike Maignan left the field in tears after suffering his third injury of the night, having previously labored before Fikayo Tomori collided with his left knee.

In the Sky Sport Italia studio, former Milan director Zvonimir Boban questioned if Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are truly suited to a 4-3-3 formation.

"I appreciate everyone's opinion. I believe we can play in a variety of systems, but we are too weak defensively, inept in individual duels, and make bad decisions," Fonseca answered.

"I am looking for the best traits in our midfielders. Loftus can be a ten or an eight, but Reijnders cannot play with Fofana. We do not play 4-3-3; there are always three players, including Pulisic, who cut inside.

"I believe we had three or four wonderful possibilities with Loftus and Pulisic in the first half, but we made mistakes with the last ball. This is a structure that I prefer, with two in midfield, Reijnders, Loftus, and Pulisic combining to produce the most threatening scenarios."

This was always going to be a difficult match to begin the new Champions League format, but home advantage was completely wasted, and the performance was lethargic.

While the 4-0 victory over Venezia was encouraging, it remains their sole clean sheet of the season, with nine goals conceded in five games.

The mood is now dreadful ahead of Sunday's Derby della Madonnina against city rivals Inter, which might be decisive for Fonseca's future at this stage.

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