Leonardo on brink for AC Milan´s Atalanta trip

After a humiliating defeat to FC Zurich in the Champions League, Italian giants AC Milan head into their trip to Atalanta on Sunday with serious questions hanging over coach Leonardo’s head.

The seven-time European champions sit 11th in the 20-team Serie A table following two wins, two draws and two defeats in their first six matches.

While that record smacks of mediocrity, it is another statistic that is truly worrying the decision-makers in the corridors of power at the San Siro.

Milan have found the net only three times and have failed to score in four of those six matches.

Only two teams have scored fewer goals than Milan and those include Sunday’s hosts Atalanta, who were the first club this season to fire their coach when they dismissed Angelo Gregucci just four games into the campaign after four straight defeats.

However, under new boss Antonio Conte, the Bergamese side have rebounded with two draws in a row and have proved more difficult to break down.

That will be far from music to Milan’s ears given their current struggles in front of goal.

Leonardo’s job is already the source of a raging debate in the press and in the stands, regardless of Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani’s assertion that they still have faith in the Brazilian.

Milan have already failed to score against minnows Livorno and Bari and been beaten by Udinese (1-0) and humiliated by city rivals Inter Milan (4-0).

Their only victories, both narrow, have hardly lifted the gloom, coming against two of the league’s other lesser lights in Siena and Bologna.

Worrying, though, for Milan is that no-one seems to know how to stop the rot.

“There has been commitment and desire, it’s not easy to perform an analysis but we’ll keep working,” said Leonardo.

“The problem is that we want to do something on the pitch but we’re not managing to do it.”

Galliani didn’t seem to have any more ideas than his Brazilian coach, saying only: “How do we get out of this crisis? We’ll see.”

The problem is possibly not as bad as would first seem, though, as Milan are at least creating chances.

In their embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Swiss outsiders Zurich on Wednesday, they twice hit the woodwork, Filippo Inzaghi missed a tap-in from two yards and brought two fine saves out of goalkeeper Johnny Leoni.

More pressing would be their need if they weren’t creating chances, but there are signs of frustration creeping into their game and into their players’ thinking.

“We’re not playing great football but we are creating chances, everything’s going badly,” said full-back Ignazio Abate.

“It’s not true that we’re not running, but we’re doing it badly and to no purpose.”

It is not just the red half of Milan under pressure, though, as Inter boss Jose Mourinho has also come under fire after his team lost 1-0 at leaders Sampdoria last week and have begun their Champions League campaign with two draws.

They will be expected to bounce back impressively at home to Udinese on Saturday or Mourinho too can expect scathing attacks in the press.

Second-placed Juventus face a tough task in trying to end a run of four draws in a row (two each in Serie A and the Champions League) when they travel to Sicily to tackle Palermo.

But Sampdoria will be hopeful of holding onto top spot for another week at least as they host newly-promoted Parma, looking for a sixth win in seven matches.

Fixtures:

Saturday

Bari v Catania, Inter Milan v Udinese

Sunday

Atalanta v AC Milan, Bologna v Genoa, Cagliari v Chievo, Fiorentina v Lazio, Palermo v Juventus, AS Roma v Napoli, Sampdoria v Parma, Siena v Livorno