Paulo Fonseca clinched his first three points with AC Milan last night, beating Venezia 4-0, and he thus got some more breathing room ahead of Liverpool and Inter next week. After the clash, the manager shared his thoughts with the media.
Pressure was indeed on Fonseca, as well as his players, to turn things around on Saturday evening and they responded in the best way possible. Liverpool and Inter are up next week and the Rossoneri will now head into these clashes with some confidence.
Speaking to MilanTV after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Fonseca shared his thoughts on the game and how much the fans’ support meant to them. He was also asked which he was more happy with, the four goals scored or the clean sheet kept…
Arriving at San Siro with a great welcome from the fans. How much energy did it give you?
“A very emotional moment to have our fans here waiting for us. Today they confirmed the great love they have for Milan. We must reward this love from the fans. The players understood the message, we played with a lot of energy and we also won for our fans, who deserve the energy of our team. This victory is for our fans.”
Is this the right attitude?
“I think it was the most important thing, the energy we put in from the first minute. This desire to recover the ball immediately. The four in front did a magnificent job and it was very important for the team. They also know that they gave this energy to recover the ball higher up, it was the most important thing of the match, this energy and this intensity.”
Milan were more laid-back in the second half…
“We had good moments in both halves, even in the second half with the entrance of Morata who is full of energy and intensity. Then they finished with 10 men, it’s easier to press. We had a good attitude in both the first and second half.”
Tonight, have you started to see the game identity you have in mind? Are you happier with the four goals or with the clean sheet?
“I spoke to the players, I told them that it was important not to concede goals to have stability. We played with great desire and great energy. We had good moments with the ball, but I think we can improve our ball management a lot: in the second half we forced too many situations, we need to improve our ball management and find the right moment to attack. It’s a process that needs time. Today several good things, but we can and must improve.”
The Liverpool clash is scheduled for Tuesday evening, more specifically 21:00 local time, while the Derby della Madonnina will be played on Sunday evening. Two very important games for Fonseca and Milan, now hoping to build on yesterday’s comfortable win.
If this is an actual progress and not some class diff between us and Venezia, nothing can make me happier.
But if we take into consideration the amount and level of mistakes made by Venezia, it becomes a bit concerning! Hope RLC can play minimum at this level from now on in double-pivot. Reijnders also deserves the n10 spot.
I would give time to Emerson and RLC until summer but we need to address midfield in January. 2 additions are a must!
For me,Milan played ok, of course there was a difference in class between the two teams, however the win will boost Milan’s confidence.
The coach should also try musah over loftus in that double pivot with fofana…
Now is not the right time to experiment with the starting lineup. Fonseca should select the same lineup for Liverpool and Inter. Unfortunately for Milan these games are a bit too early in the season for the team especially after a bad start to the season.
Maybe a change could be Calabria instead of Emerson who, despite not being horrible this time, was still the least good for Milan yesterday. Calabria usually plays well against top teams, paradoxically.
Gabbia-Pavlovic seems to be the best CB pairing but I’m afraid Fonseca will go back to Tomori-Pavlovic. Poor Gabbia; it’s hard to understand why he is always lower in the pecking order despite lucid, intelligent and consistently almost error-free performances and good positioning. What else can Gabbia do to earn the coach’s trust?
The offense is fine: 9 goals in 4 matches and lots of scoring options with multiple players scoring. It’s the defense that is worrisome.