One of Paulo Fonseca’s former collaborators has lifted the lid on what AC Milan fans can expect from their new head coach, while he also spoke about coaching Rafael Leao in the past.
Fonseca arrived at Milan amid what would be fairly labelled a mixed reaction, as some fans wanted the club to go for a bigger name like Antonio Conte or a more glamorous appointment like Roberto De Zerbi.
Nevertheless, the signs have been good under the ex-Lille boss so far as Milan returned from the United States last week where they played three games in the 2024 Soccer Champions Tour, beating Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
That was followed up by a 3-1 victory against Monza in the Silvio Berlusconi Trophy on Tuesday night, completing an unbeaten preseason in which the style of football was encouraging and there were many pleasant surprised.
One of Fonseca’s long-time collaborators, Pedro Moreira, spoke to MilanNews to give some insight on the Portuguese coach and how he might do with the Rossoneri, in addition to talking about his compatriot Leao.
You worked with Fonseca for years, tell us more…
“I worked with Paulo Fonseca for nine wonderful years. My professional career began with him. At the beginning there were three of us, then over the years our staff has become more and more structured.”
What kind of coach is Fonseca?
“He is a coach who creates a fantastic environment, not only with the other members of the staff but also with the players. A healthy environment and a strong bond is what is created.”
The pre-season has been excellent so far and the season is upon us. What should we expect?
“We’ll wait until the end of the transfer market to have a more complete assessment, but the first impressions watching this pre-season are that you can already see Paulo’s mark. I see an organised team, with significant ball possession that moves the ball around, creating the right space and making the opponents run for nothing.”
The fans were a bit cold about his arrival…
“First of all, we must not forget that Fonseca has won 9 titles, you certainly cannot say that he is a coach who does not win.”
In the collective imagination, the two seasons at Roma have influenced judgment…
“At Roma he had good seasons, reaching a semi-final of the Europa League in a particular period. And then you have to look at the whole picture, the team available and the quality of the game.
“Paulo already knows Italian football, which has changed him a bit and the results were seen at Lille. At Milan he has the opportunity to create a winning philosophy and propose an attractive type of football.”
The club also chose him to develop the young players and preseason gave some good indications in this respect…
“It must be said that last season ended late and many starters were not there and it was the time for the young players to make themselves noticed. In this respect, Fonseca has the merit of evaluating the qualities of a player, without looking at his age.
“Are you good enough? You’ll go on the pitch even if you are 18 years old. Lille are the most recent example, but it must also be said that at Roma players like Calafiori and Bove were launched by Paulo.”
There is a lot of curiosity surrounding Leao, who is also a compatriot of Fonseca…
“I am very curious, because I coached Rafa in the Sporting youth team. I prepared him for the change from 7-a-side to 11-a-side football.”
Is Fonseca the right man to help Leao make that final leap in quality?
“For Rafa, playing at San Siro or against a small team on the outskirts is the same. I believe he will have a very important role in Fonseca’s football, whether he will grow further depends on Rafa’s will. I hope Paulo will help him make the definitive switch, I’m very curious.”
What memories do you have of the child Leao?
“He was already projected into a future as a protagonist. And we all expected him, we imagined a great future. He had incredible confidence with the ball and had been decisive in many matches, especially important ones like the derby with Benfica. He was ambitious, but still had to be developed physically. He was practically without muscles (laughs).”
Of these nine titles won, what is your best memory?
“It’s difficult to choose the best, also because then we have to remember the third place with Paços de Ferreira which was worth the passage to the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. But I won’t forget the Portuguese Cup with Braga or the way we changed Shakhtar.”
How is Fonseca in training?
“Fantastic professional, how he reads the game and how he changes it. The Italian experience was also fundamental. With him the player knows exactly what to do on the pitch. I must say that Paulo has incredible preparation.”
An adjective to define Fonseca?
“Winner.”
A flaw?
“Sometimes he’s a little firm in his beliefs.”
After Roma, your paths separated…
“In life you make choices, we both realised that we had to take different paths. He wanted to change a bit, I wanted to walk on my own two feet. It remains a great friendship and Paulo is a very important person for my career, so much so that I also feel like a Milan fan.”