\n<\/p>\n
The Derby della Madonnina is the pick of the weekend’s action as Inter host stuttering rivals AC Milan at a sold-out San Siro on Sunday – and it is a match that could have big consequences.<\/b><\/p>\n
New Milan boss Paulo Fonseca has won just one of his first four Serie A games – a 4-0 thumping of bottom-placed Venezia last week – and is coming under increasing scrutiny in the Italian press.<\/p>\n
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported, external<\/span><\/a> the relationship between Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was brought back to the club as a senior advisor in December, is “delicate”.<\/p>\n It comes from a mixture of underwhelming early results, including the Champions League defeat by Liverpool on Tuesday, and Ibrahimovic’s comments in the press.<\/p>\n “I am the boss and I am in charge, all the others work for me,” Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports Italia, external<\/span><\/a> earlier this week. <\/p>\n But Italian football expert James Horncastle told BBC Euro Leagues podcast, external<\/span><\/a> that many people are unsure exactly what Ibrahimovic’s role at the club is.<\/p>\n “He’s not employed by the club, he’s employed by the owner and that’s across RedBird Capital Partners’ media and entertainment businesses,” said Horncastle. <\/p>\n “But Zlatan only seems to be interested in AC Milan, and living in Milan, showing up at training and unveiling players they’ve signed.<\/p>\n “Are you the CEO? A sporting director? A technical director? What decisions do you make and what responsibilities do you have? If you tell us, we can judge you.<\/p>\n “It’s difficult for Paulo Fonseca to be given time and patience by the fans and by the media – people look at the club and there are all these ambiguities. People look at the club and say ‘who’s calling the shots here?’ And ‘should we trust them?’<\/p>\n “It makes Paulo Fonseca’s job all that harder when you don’t know exactly how the club is run.”<\/p>\n Milan sit 10th but are just three points behind third-placed Inter, who have won two and drawn two of their opening four games and head into the derby on the back of an encouraging goalless draw with Manchester City.<\/p>\n “It will be a derby. We all know what it means for the club and our fans,” said Inter boss Simone Inzaghi. “We’ll face a team of great value.”<\/p>\n Before that, Antonio Conte has the chance to take his Napoli side top of the table on Saturday when they visit Juventus, where Conte won five Serie A titles as a player and another three as manager. <\/p>\n Napoli are eyeing a fourth successive win, following their opening-day defeat at Hellas Verona, and have Romelu Lukaku on form with two goals and two assists in just two games since completing a move from Chelsea before deadline day.<\/p>\n However, it is Udinese who are the surprise Serie A leaders after four games, having narrowly avoided relegation last season. <\/p>\n On Sunday they visit Roma, who on Wednesday made Daniele de Rossi the first managerial casualty in the Italian top flight<\/a> this season after failing to win any of the club’s opening four league games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n