AC Milan's head coach, Paulo Fonseca, speaks to the media in a press conference in view of tomorrow's away match against Cagliari.
Here are his words:
In Madrid, Milan achieved a great feat. How important is it not to waste the effort and hard work done in Madrid when facing Cagliari tomorrow?
"I think it's important to stick with the good things we've done, with this spirit and courage. It’s essential to understand that it will be a different match. We have to be a different team to play in Cagliari. We need the right attitude to win this game."
Has the match in Madrid changed anything for the players? Fonseca replied:
"Before the game, the team was already aware of what we can be, of how much we’ve grown during this time. Of course, the match against Real brings more confidence to the players. All matches are important; I don’t think the match in Madrid is more important than this one against Cagliari. We need to understand the moment, the opponent, and the competitions. We have to return to our competition, which is different, and we need to have the right attitude."
Was Yunus Musah a one-shot experiment? How is Alvaro Morata doing?
"It was a strategy for that game. I don’t know if we’ll use it in other games; maybe we’ll even try it with other players. But it was mainly a strategy for the match against Real, considering their characteristics and how we wanted to defend. Maybe we’ll need to do the same in other matches? Morata? It was a strange situation. He had a clash with Pavlovic. Initially, I didn’t think it would be this kind of problem. He’s doing well, but he’s not ready and can’t play tomorrow."
Will Rafael Leao play tomorrow?
"Yes, tomorrow he will start from the first minute. He played a good game. After the match, I said he could have done even better and made some better decisions. We all need to understand that tomorrow will be a totally different game for Rafa, with individual marking, and without the space he had in Madrid. It will be a different game. I expect Rafa to be at the same level."
Are you expecting more goals from Rafael Leao?
"Yes. How many situations did Rafa have in the last 30 meters? 9-10 situations. He can improve his final choices, and it's clear to everyone that he can improve defensively. We need to keep working with him on these things that are important for him but, above all, for the team."
Is it important to win tomorrow for the title race?
"It's important for everything; we can't slip up in these types of games. We can't afford to drop points at this stage. We come from a good game, but the win against Real doesn’t mean anything if we don't win against Cagliari. It will be a totally different match because of the opponent's characteristics. But it's crucial to win tomorrow."
Fonseca, how did Rafael Leao handle being on the bench in recent weeks? What's your relationship with him like?
"It's good and has always been good. Obviously, I can't say everything, but as coaches, we try to have different strategies. I tried one with Rafa; maybe it wasn't the best. Now I've adopted another strategy that seems to have worked. But I've never had issues with Rafa. He responded, which is what I want. I expect him to continue like this. If this yields results, maybe we'll see Rafa on the bench more often (laughs).
Twice as underdogs, against Inter and Real, you showed your best performance. Why is that?
"Maybe we can have several explanations. First of all, I have to say that these types of matches are a great motivation for the players. If we’re honest, the players approach these matches more motivated than others. That’s why I’m more worried today about Cagliari than I was before the Real Madrid match. Then, these are totally different matches. When you play against teams like Real, the worst thing that can happen is not having courage because there’s so much space. Teams playing these kinds of matches go in with a bit of fear and think about defending."
Fonseca continued:
"But I tell the players there is space, that we can do our thing, and so during the match, you gain confidence. In this kind of match, we have space to play. Tomorrow I’m sure we won’t have the same space to play. When the team is in this context, it’s a team that has courage, that controls the game, that plays together. That’s why we did well."
Do you feel that after Madrid the fans love you more?
"It’s normal (laughs). For me, nothing has changed. I have to follow the path I believe in. If I don’t win tomorrow, then... I’m always the same, I don’t look at anything and continue on the path I believe in."
Do you feel like you have a cup team, a Champions League team?
"I honestly haven't thought about this (laughs). But I like it (laughs). I also like that the team understands that here in Italy it is the priority. We must have the same attitude, the same courage to win games here. For me, Serie A is our priority. We have always played well against great teams, we must do the same against other teams. This is my concern."
The Spain coach said that Morata will definitely play the first or second match with the national team. After the break, there’s Juventus; wouldn’t it be better to explain to the coach that it would be better for him to rest? Morata replied:
"I don’t know how he said these things, there’s a protocol. After a head injury, the player must stop for 10 days. I’ve been instructed that the player must rest for 10 days. It’s the protocol, it’s not an option, I don’t know how he can say this."
In Cagliari, wouldn’t it be better to change the way of playing, perhaps switching to three in midfield?
"I’m not sure... If you can give me advice on how to win. We play with three midfielders, how can you say no? Fofana, Reijnders, Pulisic. We’ve played with four, now with Musah. We’ve always played with three midfielders."
Should we start with more energy?
"I’m sure we didn’t agree on the Monza match. But I think the team played with the right attitude against Monza. They played through difficulties, but the team played with the right mentality and aggression for that game. I expect tomorrow to be the same. Can we say that Stuttgart, who played against Atalanta, didn’t have the right attitude? Instead, they struggled to play against a team that defends man-to-man. As a coach, I know that it’s very difficult to face teams that defend like that, it’s tough."
Formation choices:
"At the moment, it’s difficult to choose players. For example, Chukwu, who is in good form. I can explain to the players that it’s a tactical choice, not based on performance. Now we have more options to change depending on the games. For instance, we played with Pavlovic and Thiaw because it was a physical game. In Madrid, a faster game, Tomori played. I’m lucky to be able to choose based on the games and the opponents. I think the players understand, I’m direct and explain when I need to. It’s positive to have this possibility, and I believe the players understand the choices well."
Will Tammy Abraham play tomorrow? Fonseca commented:
"I can tell you right away because after half an hour, you’ll know anyway. Tomorrow, Camarda will play."
Tomorrow marks 4 months at Milan...
"It’s an honor, I’m very satisfied. It’s difficult, but I’m very proud and highly motivated when I see the work and growth of the team. It’s very motivating, I’m very motivated and satisfied."
On the difference between Europe and Italy:
"When we have a match like the one against Real Madrid, we intend to look for certain spaces because they are there. To play against Real Madrid, we have a good positional game. To play against Cagliari, we need other things. When there's man-marking, there is no space for positional play; there are other important things, but I don’t want to say what they are (smiles, ed.). It's clear that the way the team approaches the game must be different. Against Monza, against Napoli at times, we did a lot of good things. We need to keep doing these important things to face this type of team."
Is Luka Jovic still part of the project? Fonseca replied:
"He's part of the project. The problem is that he's not physically well. He has an ongoing issue. He's trained in these days but with pain. Today we tried, but he still has this strong pain, which limits him. He won't be with us."
It's important to talk about Yunus Musah...
"The success of teams is based on these types of players. Musah is very important. He had already played a great match against Napoli. I asked him for a different role, and he did very well again. I know he’s a player who is always ready to sacrifice and help the team. He has many qualities I like. For me, he was a key player in Madrid. I haven't talked about it because they only ask me about Leao (laughs, ed.). I wanted to, but the questions don't come (laughs)."
Why will Camarda start tomorrow? And is he excited? How did he take the news?
"For me, it’s not surprising. He works with us every day. I think everyone at the club believes a lot in him, he works well, and understands the role well. For me, players don’t have an age, they have quality. And he shows every day that he has quality. Morata, at this moment, has a very specific role. Morata is not always a striker, but many times he is a player who unlocks passing lines."
Fonseca concluded:
"I think Camarda is currently more ready than Abraham to play this role. And I must say that Abraham isn’t fully fit, but he’s better. I have total trust in Camarda. He has trained very well. He has the age he has, but he has great maturity. He has courage, he works hard for the team defensively. Yesterday, we had this issue with Morata. I didn’t have a single doubt about who should play tomorrow."
