Interviewed by Gazzetta dello Sport, Matteo Gabbia shared his thoughts on the first days of training under Fonseca. The Rossoneri central defender was very impressed by the new coach and also had thoughts on Ibra, Morata, and Inter. Here are his statements:
On the match against Rapid Vienna:
“We had come from days of intense work, and our legs were heavy, but it was important to implement the coach’s ideas. We have a lot of room for improvement.”
On Paulo Fonseca:
"Very positive impressions. The sessions are intense and require a lot of effort. We’re giving our all to adapt to the new working method. Fonseca has a proactive approach to football. We need to use this start of the season to assimilate the new concepts."
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alvaro Morata:
"Since he became a director, he has always been close to the team. For us, it’s an additional boost. Álvaro is a European champion and has won a lot in his career. Now we have an extraordinary striker in the team who will help us a lot."
On the second star, Gabbia said:
"Right now, I’m focused on starting well and working with maximum concentration. Of course, Milan is an important, ambitious, prestigious, and unique club. I’m not too concerned about the favorites. Inter is a great team; there’s no point in beating around the bush."
On matches against Inter, Gabbia commented:
"I haven’t circled the derby of the fifth round on the calendar. I focus on the next training session and then on the opening match against Torino. Matches against Inter need to be approached with maximum effort, but we need to do well in the others too."
On Serie A:
"The league will be very competitive because there are many strong opponents, but there’s no point in thinking about what others are doing. It would only mean wasting mental energy. I demand the most from myself, as I always have."
