In view of tomorrow's Champions League fixture against Liverpool at the San Siro stadium, the AC Milan head coach, Paulo Fonseca, spoke to the media in a press conference. He was accompanied by Alvaro Morata, who also discussed several topics with the journalists (read his statements HERE).
Here are the Portuguese tactician's words:
The great nights at San Siro have their own history. The Rossoneri fans are especially passionate during the Champions League. Do you think the fans' warmth can have an impact?
"I'm sure it can. Our fans' support is always important to us, as it was on Saturday when we arrived at the stadium, during and after the match. The support from our fans is essential for us. We need to feel their love."
Did the win against Venezia and the boost of confidence help you find your way? Was that the turning point match? Fonseca answered:
"I believe that victories always bring confidence to players and fans. Tomorrow will be a different match. It's important to have won against Venezia, I think we were improving even before Saturday, but wins especially give confidence to the players."
What are Liverpool's strengths, and what mistakes must not be repeated against them?
"They are a great team, one of the strongest in Europe at the moment. They have a very strong positional game and individual talents that we all know. We will need to be defensively perfect to win. In the Champions League, against teams like this, you can't make mistakes: if we make a mistake once, they score. We will need to be a complete team in defense in order to attack with stability. At this moment, for me, they are one of the strongest teams in Europe."
Will tomorrow's game show how much Milan is worth? Fonseca commented:
"I see tomorrow's match as an opportunity for the team to show that it is learning and growing. It's a great opportunity to play against Liverpool; it brings different challenges compared to what we face in Serie A and gives the players a chance to show their progress."
After the Venezia game, have you had the chance to speak with Gerry Cardinale? What did you talk about?
"I always talk to Gerry, before and after the matches we're always in contact, it's normal. What we talked about stays between us."
Did Zlatan Ibrahimovic say anything specific about the Venezia match, or is there something he thinks can be improved in this season?
"With Zlatan, I talked about what we usually talk about: the atmosphere, the match, the team. Nothing different."
Can the same players play against Liverpool and Inter, or not? Fonseca said:
"The same players can play, but I also have the option to make changes (laughs). This week we have three matches, and I have to think about all of them. Tomorrow is the most important because it's the next one, but I can't forget that we have the derby in the next Serie A match."
Is there a shift happening, from dominance to balance?
"They know that the first thing I talk about is that the best defense is not losing the ball. I believe this team can become very dominant in the future", said Fonseca, "We're already doing something, but I want to be even more dominant. For me, defending well means not losing the ball, and then when we don't have the ball, it's important to have a team that defends well together, especially in these matches."
Do you agree that tomorrow Liverpool is the favorite?
"This is always a very particular question for me. We can say anything, words are just words, what matters is what we do on the field. What we feel is the most important thing, and what we feel is that we can and want to win against Liverpool."
Should tomorrow be the night of Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao?
"Every match should be the night of Theo, Leao, Alvaro, and the whole team. There's a lot of talk about individuals, but for me, the most important thing is to play as a team. Of course, when we are strong as a team, it makes it easier for individuals to do great things. I prefer to talk about the team."
Did you like the positions of Tijjani Reijnders and Ruben Loftus-Cheek against Venezia?
"I liked that structure; we might see it again in the future. Of course, every match has a different strategy. I liked it not only offensively but also defensively. For me, positional play is important. Now we need to improve the connections between the players, but I liked it."
What have you discovered about Youssouf Fofana after a month of coaching him?
"Fofana arrived later, so we haven’t had much time to work with him. We can't expect a perfect Fofana right now, especially because he’s playing a different role than he did at Monaco. He's improving in important details, and I see him progressing. I believe in him a lot; he will be very important for the team. However, we need to understand that he just arrived and needs time to adapt to Serie A, which is different from France."
What differences are there between Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Arne Slot's?
"Slot has just arrived, and they also have different players... There are similarities, especially in their defensive style. The play on the wings is very different, but the way they recover the ball and press high is very similar."
You play with three midfielders, but with Ismael Bennacer's injury, are you a bit short in that area?
"No, I think we have plenty of midfielders. We've had Bennacer's injury, but we also have many young players like Zeroli and Vos, who has just arrived and is very capable. I think we have good players in this position."
If you win against Liverpool and Inter, would you bring us some 'pastel de nata' (a traditional Portuguese pastry)? Fonseca answered:
"(Laughs) If I win both matches, I promise to bring pastel de nata to the press conference."
