Fonseca says Milan ‘did well’ up until the second half: “We played a different game”

Following the 2-2 draw against Lazio, Paulo Fonseca spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on what AC Milan could have done better. Heading into the international break with just two points, the manager has a lot of work to do. 

This is the worst start to a season since 1938/1939 and 1930/1931 for Milan, when they registered just one point in the first three games. In other words, the situation is far from ideal and tough evaluations will be needed during the break.

Speaking to DAZN after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Fonseca shared his thoughts on the performance and what Milan could have done better. He was also asked about Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao remaining (understandably so) on the left flank during the cooling break.

On the cooling break ‘incident’…

“There is no problem and I think Theo already explained it (his interview). This week, I spoke to the players who accepted my decision. There is no problem, I was focused and I did not see that they were there but I think Theo has explained why. The response of the players has been good and we shouldn’t create problems when there are none.”

On the match…

“I think the team did well because we controlled the match with the ball. In the second half, it went differently, we let them play. I understand that it’s a moment that isn’t positive, maybe in their heads the players want to try not to concede. We have to manage the match with the ball but in the second half, we didn’t want to play.”

Was there a man missing in midfield?

“For me, no player was missing in the middle of the field. We didn’t take any risks, that was the problem. When other teams press higher it should be easier for us.”

On the responsibility of the players…

“I didn’t talk about a lack of responsibility but about the team’s intention to play. I think we made a mistake, we know what the team’s intention is but in the second half we played a different game.”

Milan will take on Venezia after the break and then it will be time for Liverpool as well as Inter. This means that the Rossoneri must get things in order by then to avoid further embarrassment.