With the victory in the derby, Paulo Fonseca has given himself a quiet week after being on a rollercoaster for a long time. Milannews.it spoke with someone who has worked with him for years: Pedro Moreira, his assistant for nine years, including two at Roma.
Pedro Moreira, Paulo Fonseca got himself out of trouble by gifting Milan an epic derby. The previous six had been losses...
"Milan played very well; I would say that the Rossoneri deserved to score the 2-1 much earlier and that the result is even tight... Let’s say that if it ended 4-1, no one would have had anything to object."
For a week, there was nothing but talk of dismissal and possible replacements. As a coach, how do you withstand such pressure?
"You have to know how to manage the pressure. And above all, you have to believe in your work; football is a matter of trust. Our job is to try to do the best with the available material and to be able to convey to the team the idea of our work. Fonseca is a very respectful coach, but he wants to win like everyone else. What I see is that the team is united. I hope this derby gives Paulo more strength and that it marks a turning point for the team."
Probably even Fonseca did not expect such a complicated start.
"When you prepare without many players, those who participated in the Euros, it’s not easy. But if you remember, during pre-season, he played quality football. Of course, this raised expectations. A packed schedule doesn’t help either because if you play many games in a short time, you don’t even have a chance to work, leading to problems in making changes. Defensively, something is changing, and above all, I see a united team."
It has been said that Paulo Fonseca did not have control of the team.
"The media has not been kind to Fonseca; I think many people want these controversies to persist. And it's too easy to talk when things aren’t going well. The important thing is to keep working, believe in your ideas, and have patience if you’re given it. Because it takes time for your influence to show. I believe it won’t take long; in the meantime, I invite you to look at the celebrations after the derby victory; they show a united group that stands with the coach after a terrible week."
The attitude of Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao during the cooling break raised alarms...
"A coach must try to influence the players, but sometimes the player thinks first of himself and then the team. However, I would say that since then, they have done well."
Do you believe Milan should continue with two strikers?
"Italian football is very strategic. And Fonseca has grown a lot with the experience in Rome. Two strikers in the next matches? It depends on the kind of game you want to play but also on the opponent. In the derby, given how Inter plays, that setup was perfect; other matches are different stories."
