Paulo Fonseca has confirmed that Noah Okafor will start for AC Milan against Parma on Saturday evening with Alvaro Morata out injured.
Speaking during his press conference (transcribed by Milan News) ahead of the second Serie A game of the season which sees Milan head to Parma, Fonseca gave some clues as to who would start with a number of positions up for grabs.
Milan’s season got underway with a 2-2 draw at home to Torino last Saturday and they needed two very late goals to avoid a defeat.
One of those goals came from Alvaro Morata but he picked up an injury in the process and is not expected to play again until after the September international break.
That means that Fonseca must decide whether Noah Okafor or Luka Jovic will take the Spaniard’s place at the top of the attack. Okafor seemed the most likely choice given he got the second goal against Torino and looked very sharp when he came off of the bench.
Fonseca used the press conference to confirm that the Swiss player will start the game on Saturday evening, putting an end to the speculation.
Parma started their season by drawing 1-1 at home against Fiorentina and they were slightly disappointed not to have gotten all three points on their return to the top flight.
It was the first full week with all the new players at Milanello. How is the integration going?
“The week went very well, they trained very well. We have players of different levels, they didn’t all arrive at the same time. We have some close to the best physical condition and others further away. It was a good week of work.”
Who is in Morata’s place, Okafor or Jovic?
“I have to be honest, [Noah] Okafor will play tomorrow. It will be a different game. We want to have a different ability to play high than on Saturday with Torino. Okafor during the week gave good answers, and the characteristics of the match are good for his qualities.
“Noah will play tomorrow. Luka [Jovic] will be able to be useful in another part of the game. Tomorrow I think it will be difficult, we will need a higher and different sort of press. That’s why Okafor is playing.”
How are Reijnders, Hernandez, Emerson and Fofana?
“They are at a different level. [Tijjani] Reijnders and Theo [Hernandez] are close to the best physical condition, Emerson [Royal] and [Youssouf] Fofana came later. Fofana has been training alone for so many days. They need more time.”
What sort of game do you expect? Can Pavlovic start?
“It can happen. On the match instead, it is very clear that we have to be a different team than we were in the first half with Torino. Milan cannot afford, against all teams, to leave them as much space as Torino had. That’s why I want a different team. I think we improved a lot in the second half. But we have to be consistent, we can’t just light up for five minutes.”
Will Camarda be with the team tomorrow?
“No, he will not be with us. We are very attentive to the young players we have, they played in the preseason. But we have to understand that they are in different moments. Our young people have quality, we have to choose the right time for them to play.
“We have to create the conditions for them to succeed-this is not the time to create this pressure on young players. This is my opinion. They are working close to us, when there is the opportunity and the right time we will make them play. This is not the right time to have this pressure on young people.”
Which Milan do you expect tomorrow? Should Leao be higher up the pitch?
“[Rafael] Leao can do both. When the ball is on the opposite side he needs to be closer to the goal. I think it is important for Rafa to understand this. He has a chance to improve his numbers.
“On the team, I think it is time to understand what there is to improve. I expect a difficult game against a very particular team that runs and fights a lot. If we don’t understand what kind of game we will have tomorrow then it will be difficult.
“Winning in Parma is not only about playing but also about suffering and fighting. I think this is a type of game where we increase our level of defensive aggression.”
What have you not yet found in this team?
“I am never satisfied; teams are always unfinished products. We had a very positive preseason with very positive games. I also think we took a step backwards with Torino in some moments of the game. I always want to bring the team to the same level.
“We did very good things in the preseason, it’s not a game that makes us doubt what we did. We have to follow our path with confidence, knowing that there is a lot to work on and to improve. It takes time, but every day I am more and more confident with the team we have.”
How will Morata’s fitness be managed?
“He has a small problem, it’s not big. Before the game he felt something, we did tests and there was nothing. I had the doubt whether to play him from the start or not, but I didn’t want to risk it. I had some precautions with Morata.
“He wanted to play, but with the medical department, we showed him that it was risky to play 60-90 minutes. He said he was fine and played 30 minutes. It is a problem when players arrive late and we need to play them. I think we still handled these situations well but there was this little problem.”
The biggest danger for tomorrow is Parma’s wingers, yes?
“Yes. This is a team with a strong identity. Very aggressive defensively and on the counterattack. The wingers are really very dangerous, we have to be careful when we lose the ball so we don’t start them off on the counterattack. They are very combative, I have no doubt it will be difficult.”
Do you expect more from the market?
“I think so far the club has done a great job with signings. I think a team like Milan always has opportunities to improve, so let’s see what will happen. I have to say that the club has done a great job with the players they have brought in.”
Will players be left out due to the market?
“I don’t know what will happen until the last day.”
What is different between Emerson and Calabria?
“Emerson is a more offensive player, although in recent seasons he played as a central player at Tottenham. He is different from [Davide] Calabria. He can also play deep but he is more offensive.”
Is a transfer of Leao impossible?
“Our CEO spoke yesterday, I really liked what I heard. Rafa is fundamental in this team.”
Will we see Chukwueze, Pulisic and Leao together again tomorrow?
“Let’s see tomorrow.”
OK this all seems sensible, not Giampaolo 2.0 😆
Let’s give Okafor a chance, I don’t expect much initially but he’s gotta be given the time to lead the line. Even if he’s not impressive against Parma for 70mins (after which I expect we’ll see Jovic from the bench) we should try Okafor again for the remaining matches Morata is missing. He has similar attributes to David who was Fonsecas no.9 at Lille so even if lone striker is not his “natural” position that doesn’t mean he can’t adapt.
yes. after all he is versatile.
Good presser from Fonseca TBH
Can’t understand how Fofana has lost so much condition since the World Cup..
Because the Euros came right after and he played quite a lot his condition was likely deteriorating.
Then he takes time off.
His body must first recover to where is can be edit from training again. Then training must be managed with gradually increasing load to both avoid exhaustion and avoid muscular injuries.
Humans vary in their ability to take load (Theo clearly can play forever). Others vary in how long they take in recovery from load and intensity.
Really hope Okafor steps up, feel like everyone’s rooting for him
Strange to give the opponent that much notice of your starting forward, thought a bit of mystery would be preferable. Agree with the call though, and I don’t mean to slight Jovic because if we need a goal and are putting pressure on I think he can do just that off the bench.
Feels daft not to include the kids like Camarda in the squad, in case of a slim chance for a pressure-free run out but hey ho.
Think it will only be after the international break we actually have a squad in place where Fonseca can choose his best XI
What happened about your high pressing style of play last match? Just talkining about that but they were like tired cats on the field.
And who told you that emerson is more offensive than a calabria,apparently you never watched a player that you wanted to buy ,our clumsy captain has better stats than him
Bennacar and RLC happened…
Good. It seems like Fonseca, unlike Pioli, does have the capacity to learn from his mistakes. That’s reassuring.
Let’s see the results moving forward…all talks now
Anyway just a personal feel..the Great AC Milan needs Italian players…period