AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca comments during a press conference on the derby win against Inter
You were right...
"We started from day one. There have only been five matches in Serie A. I know the results weren’t what we wanted. We kept believing in our ideas. Today, the match was emotional. Milan hadn’t won the last six derbies, so it was really important to win today."
Is today the spark?
"Let’s wait. It was an important victory. But this has to become the norm. We must keep working to always have this confidence, because the players have always worked well, doing what we believe in. First, we have to play as a team at all times. Second, we need to keep improving. Just because we won today doesn’t mean we’re the best team, and we weren’t the worst before today either. We need to stay balanced. We celebrate today, but tomorrow we continue with that balance."
What changed?
"On Wednesday, we talked a lot, for almost an hour and a half. Then we went out for training. The form gave me a lot of confidence. In difficult moments, you can feel when players don’t believe, but I never felt that, especially this week."
Why did you speak about fantastic days yesterday? Was there a moment when you realized you were close to a turning point?
"No, I’ve felt that over the last three days. I think on Wednesday we talked a lot; I spoke with the players for almost an hour and a half, and then in training, I saw them in a way that gave me a lot of confidence. There are difficult moments when players don’t believe in what they’re doing, but I’ve never had that feeling here. Especially not this week."
Gabbia said the forwards were crucial, even in defensive phases. Is that what you want?
"From day one. Today, we didn’t change the formation; it was the same with different players: doing it with Morata is a bit different, but the structure was the same. I liked the way the team worked defensively; there wasn’t a single player who didn’t contribute. I’m satisfied, and we can move forward."
If you open social media today, everyone loved Milan. How did this 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 come about?
"I haven’t opened social media for ten months... Honestly, I don’t think we play with two forwards; Morata in defensive phases acts as a playmaker. When I started thinking about it, it was because both Tammy and Alvaro bring a different energy to the team. Then we have a playmaker role, and I think Morata does it very well: we tried it in training, and I already liked it last week, and I think we did well today."
In your first press conference, you said you’d been thinking about the derby since day one...
"I think the derby is a match that fans mark on the calendar. When I arrived here, one of the things everyone talked about was the six losses against Inter. That’s why I started feeling the desire to win it from day one. This past week, I started thinking about the match, but I understand that for the fans, it’s different, and this victory is primarily for them. They deserve these moments after the way we started Serie A."
Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders had a great game. Have you found your pair?
"Yes, since the match against Venezia, Fofana has been playing alone there. There are moments, especially under pressure, when we need another midfielder alongside him. Reijnders did that excellently today: I think he can play in any role, and today he was everywhere we needed him. I liked both of their performances."
Can Christian Pulisic be your leader, both on the field and in the locker room?
"No, you need 'tokens' for him to talk. He doesn’t speak much."
