In view of tomorrow's Serie A match against Napoli, AC Milan's head coach, Paulo Fonseca, has spoken to the media in the usual pre-match press conference.
Here's what he said:
"Napoli are very strong and they have an excellent coach. They’re top of the table and are coming here highly motivated. But we’re also motivated to play this match. Napoli is strong, they’ve won their games well."
He added:
"The postponed match with Bologna? It was a difficult moment to manage. We didn’t know whether we were playing or not; we could have done different training sessions if we had known we weren't playing. It was a match we wanted to play."
How is the team doing?
"We wanted to play also because now we have two important players suspended," he explained. "The team has trained well; I have confidence in all the players."
Francesco Camarda entered well in the Champions League... Fonseca commented:
"He entered very well; he’s a good guy. He confirmed what I think of him; he will have a great future."
How did you see Rafael Leao? Will he play tomorrow?
"Today I'm not saying who will play tomorrow (smiles). Rafa has worked well, there's no problem. He'll soon be back to what we all want him to be. If he'll play tomorrow? I'm not saying."
Are Napoli the favourites for the Scudetto?
"At the moment they are in first place: they are one of the teams that can win the Scudetto."
What's happening to Rafael Leao?
"The coach isn't playing him because if he were playing, there wouldn't be any problems. But these are normal things in football: some play, others don’t. I always think about different things when I make a choice. For me, this is very normal."
Is Milan in the running for the Scudetto? Fonseca replied:
"For me, yes. The fans need to believe because we are strong and we are improving. We can fight for the Scudetto."
Does the fact that the game against Bologna is being rescheduled for February skew the league?
"I don’t want to talk about Bologna anymore. Let’s just think about tomorrow, look ahead."
Can Davide Calabria be on the left flank?
"He can be."
On taking Rafael Leao off the field during the match against Club Brugge, Fonseca said:
"It wasn't made to penalise him, just a choice that seemed right to me at that moment."
Many would have liked Antonio Conte on the Milan bench...
"My motivation is to be the coach of Milan, period."
How is the growth of the team progressing?
"Our focus is on what we did well in previous matches and what we need to improve. Tomorrow will be a different match, balanced, against a team that defends very well. We have made great progress in terms of defensive organization. Offensively, we are growing in possession in these last matches. Perhaps tomorrow we need to play more in the last 30 meters, because Napoli presses high and defends with a low block. We need to improve our choices in the last 30 meters."
Is having a match less than others in the standings penalising? How do you manage it?
"For me, it's the same. Perhaps it penalises those who look at the standings; it doesn't change anything for me. I understand, however, that it's different for the fans."
What is Pulisic's ideal role for you? Fonseca said:
"I like him more when he plays more inside the field."
Did you watch Inter-Juventus?
"Yes, I saw it. A spectacular match or a match with many errors? Both."
Does Milan have the strength to win the Scudetto?
"Yes, we want to continue fighting to win the Scudetto. We have the strength to do it."
Tomorrow you will have several absences...
"I have confidence in the entire group. We can't do anything about the players who are not here, but with those who are. I see this as an opportunity for those who will play. I have confidence in all the players. We are a team; I don't care about the names of who plays. Tomorrow we need to be a team to win."
Strahinja Pavlovic as a left-back? Fonseca commented:
"In the national team, he plays in a three-man defense. I don't think he has the characteristics to be a full-back."
Who do you fear the most from Napoli?
"Milan and Napoli have the most decisive players on the wings."
Can tomorrow be the turning point match?
"Victories bring (more) victories and confidence. The growth of a team cannot depend on just one match. You can have a great game, but if you then lose the next one, it doesn’t matter much."
You coaches don’t train players to defend anymore? Fonseca answered:
"We could talk about this for two hours. If we think about Serie A, it cannot be said that coaches do not work on defense. If there is a league where defensive work is emphasized, it is Serie A. A lot of focus is placed on defense here. I would like to work more on it, but there isn’t time since we only play every three days. For me, individual work is important; a lot of effort goes into the defensive unit, but perhaps there is a lack of individual work."
He continued:
"Goals conceded generally come more from individual errors than team errors. Today, it’s harder to attack because teams defend better. For example, look at Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: Bayern applies man-to-man pressure up front but doesn’t do it anymore in midfield. Barça scored when they were defending low. I am convinced that teams defend better now than in the past.
