Welcome to Calcio Square, an email newsletter dedicated to Serie A and Italian football. Every Monday, Anthony Lopopolo breaks down the week that was in the Italian game. AC Milan winger Rafael Leao is the focus of this week's issue.

Every week, Paulo Fonseca insists there's no issue between him and Rafael Leao. And every week, AC Milan's head coach gives us reasons to suspect there is.

We don't know exactly why the Portuguese boss has benched Milan's highest-paid player for three consecutive Serie A matches. He says he isn't punishing the winger, but every time he drops him, the sentence feels heavier and heavier. Some fans think Leao needs a time-out. Others criticize the coach for picking a fight with Milan's most talented player.

Is Fonesca trying to get a reaction out Leao? Is he managing his workload and keeping him fresh for bigger Champions League matches? Or is there something personal here?

Leao's greatest critics argue that he's one-dimensional and not fully invested. But he has attempted more tackles than Noah Okafor - the left-winger who made little difference in his teammate's absence - in Serie A this season. He has made five blocks and four interceptions, the joint-most of any attacker on Milan's roster, alongside Alvaro Morata.

It's just that Leao doesn't run or chase down opponents like Morata does or show as much effort as Christian Pulisic. That's true. He doesn't. But he never has been and never will be that player. Not every attacker has to bust a lung to do their job.

What he's lost is his sharpness. He can't find teammates as easily as he did. You can't score one goal in 13 matches without anyone noticing. And when you're not producing, you can't afford to coast.

The problem is that Fonseca hasn't been clear about why he's doing what he's doing. He's simply acting as if Leao isn't an important player. Fonseca said Leao is just like Yunus Musah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. But no one believes that. When you drop Leao, it's a big deal. That's just the way it is. Your star makes headlines. Musah and Loftus-Cheek don't.

Key observations 👀

Developing storylines that deserve your attention.

• Atalanta look like Atalanta again. Gian Piero Gasperini's side was in 12th place at the end of the September. But it has bounced back the only way it knows how: by blowing teams apart. Atalanta put on a counterattacking clinic in Sunday's 3-0 takedown of Napoli, bullying the league leaders into costly turnovers at the Stadio Diego Maradona. They kept things tight at the back, too, making Romelu Lukaku feel claustrophobic with all their man-marking. When Napoli thought they had found an opening, Berat Djimsiti and Sead Kolasinac slid in to deny them. It isn't surprising Atalanta have scored 18 goals over their five-match win streak. It's that they've conceded only twice.
• Fiorentina are on a heater. La Viola have won each of their last seven matches across all competitions, and while they've beaten up on some minnows, including The New Saints and 20th-place Lecce, they've also secured results against Milan, Roma, and a capable Torino side that started the season strongly. Moise Kean looks like a man reborn under manager Raffaele Palladino, and David De Gea has produced massive saves in goal. Edoardo Bove has also been a creative force since joining from Roma. Fiorentina have solid pieces in every position. They deserve to be in fourth place.
• Roma may have lost the season already. Ivan Juric is on the hot seat after just a month in a half in charge. He should've seen it coming. No one simply replaces Daniele De Rossi in Rome. Loss to Inter, Fiorentina, and Hellas Verona haven't helped, but the toxic atmosphere around Trigoria has made it impossible for Juric to truly get on with the job. So he'll likely lose it some time soon, leaving Roma with the dubious task of hiring a fourth manager in less than a year. Frank Lampard and Paulo Sousa are reported candidates. That tells you all you need to know.

Things you should know 🔎

Interesting news items from the past week.

1. Inter and Milan could buy San Siro. For about €200 million, the two clubs could take ownership of the stadium and do as they please with it. Those plans could include an outright demolition or a remodeling of its parts. What's clear is that the city is doing all it can to keep Inter and Milan from relocating to another municipality.
2. Bologna are renovating their stadium. These renovations are also expected to cost €200 million and be completed in time for Euro 2032. The idea is to turn the Stadio Renato dell'Ara into a more intimate 30,000-seat arena with one of those monochromatic steel roofs. The renderings show a series of cool Roman arcades along the exterior, and while the roof really is uninspiring, it's at least part of a greater initiative to modernize.
3. Inter's losses are down from record highs. Former ownership group Suning threatened to plunge Inter into financial ruin when it defaulted on a €395-million loan, but under Oaktree Capital, the debt holder who assumed control of the club, the Nerazzurri have substantially reduced losses from €85 million to €36 million. That's after coming down from their record €245-million loss from the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Parting shot 💥

Final remarks about the current state of Serie A.

How many of you have waited patiently for Serie A to reveal the date and time of a match you want to see? It's as if the league is afraid to make a commitment. Even now, we only have kick-off information for the first 20 rounds of the season. If you're planning a trip in March, you'll just have to wait.

This is an astounding way of doing business. Serie A doesn't understand that tourism is now one of the biggest drivers of matchday revenue, and as clubs begin to ramp up expansion, it's more important than ever to make it easy on people to spend their money. But it's impossible for anyone outside of Italy to make plans to see a match without knowing when it's actually going to be played.

When I left Toronto on Sept. 1 for the 4,000-mile trip to Milan, I had no idea when Milan's game against Venezia would take place. The match was scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 13-14. That was all I knew. But I had to make sure I was in the area from Friday to Monday because that's the typical Serie A matchday. Luckily I was. But a lot of people don't have that flexibility.

While times are always subject to change - teams may have to sync kick-off times if they're in a title race or relegation battle later in the season - Serie A doesn't have to keep fans waiting until literal days and weeks before each round.

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