Paulo Fonseca insists he doesn’t care about speculation about his future and that there’s only one way to beat Inter: ‘Score more goals.’
The Portuguese coach is under fire following a poor start to the season that has seen the Rossoneri win just one game from five across all competitions.
Their next Serie A match is against city rivals Inter on Sunday, and several reports in Italy suggest that Fonseca will be sacked if Milan lose again.
Obviously, Fonseca received quite a few questions about his future during a pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“I don’t think about this, honestly,” he said.
“The team and the game against Inter are the most important things. I’m focused on my job, as always, making the team improve to be ready for tomorrow’s game.
“I am 51. If I listened to what the media said, I’d not be able to work. I don’t care about it; it’s not important to me. If you post something on Instagram and I tell you: ‘I don’t like your soul patch beard, ‘ I am sure you won’t like it and will be upset with me. Many people say many things, so how can I remain calm and trust my work if I read what everyone says? To me, what’s important is what I feel here, what people working here make me feel.”
La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that one reason behind Fonseca’s possible sacking is his poor relationship with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“I’ve always felt trusted by the club, and nothing has changed,” insisted Fonseca.
“I understand the curiosity when Zlatan comes here, but I won’t talk about what we discuss. Zlatan has been here, like other times.”
How have the team been preparing for such an important match?
“There is great frustration from everyone and the awareness that we are united to end this situation,” said Fonseca.
“The team has understood the moment and is working together to improve. The solution is to work to learn and try to do more.
“We face a strong side, but it can be an important game. I like to see positive things, and I think there’s a lot to gain against Inter because we must think positively.
“I don’t want excuses; I want to face what’s going on with work and talk to my players to understand what we want to do,” continued the coach.
“We have good moments, but we lack consistency, and I think we are working. I feel the team improves every day, so we must have consistency to get where I want. Yes, we need time; Abraham has just arrived, and we haven’t worked with the whole team for a long time, but I’m not looking for excuses. I want to focus on what we must do to improve as a team.
“I do what I believe in. I can’t do otherwise. I continue working on what I believe in.”
Is he confident that his players can react after being booed by their fans after a 3-1 loss to Liverpool on Tuesday?
“I won’t tell lies. When I get here, normally on the eve of a game, I’m always confident,” said the Rossoneri boss.
“I’d have loved you to look at this week’s work to see the atmosphere in the team. When I come here, I can only transmit trust because the players aren’t sad or in a bad mood. The truth is that the last three days of work have been fantastic, so I go to the game with confidence. This is why I have confidence in the future. The atmosphere and the way we work give me this trust.”
Inter held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Will Milan change their tactics against the Nerazzurri, or will they still try to dominate the game?
“Obviously, there are different strategies for every game,” Fonseca admitted.
“We know we’ll face a strong side. We have prepared the game thinking about the opponent, who are strong. But there is one thing I’m not able to do. Give the ball to the opponents. We want to play and dominate proceedings when we can. We want to defend well, and I think the team has made progress defensively. We prepared for the game normally.
“Why do you think we didn’t concede [in the first half against Lazio]? Because we had the ball. When we have the ball, we don’t need to defend. This is the truth. This is the difference.”
So, how can Milan beat Inter tomorrow?
“Scoring more goals than Inter, that’s how we’ll win.
“I think there’s one way to win games. I know that here in Italy, not much value is given to the playing style and that results are more important.
“But when I came here, it was because they wanted to change. I believe that a team, when it has the ball, has more chances of winning. With the quality of our players, we must keep the ball more. I keep believing in this. I don’t think the best football is giving the ball to the opponents. I keep believing in this.
“We must have the ball. When we don’t have it, we must recover it quickly. We’ll play against Inter and we played against Liverpool. We are not obliged to defend deep at all times. What I liked about those 20 minutes against Liverpool was that we defended as a unit, including Leao, who was there with the team. We must be like this when we need it. If we don’t have to be in this situation, we must keep the ball more and don’t lose it so easily.”
Is he convinced the club gave him all he needed in the market?
“I think I’ve received what we had planned and prepared. I believe we have the players to form a very strong team. However, we are not yet a very strong team.”
Do Milan lack dressing room leaders?
“I don’t want to talk about individual players,” insisted Fonseca.
“When we don’t win, the easiest thing is to look for excuses. It’s too easy. I believe we have leaders who do well in this role.”
Matteo Gabbia doesn’t seem to be a starter, but Milan didn’t concede against Venezia, a game that the Italian defender started.
“It’s true that we didn’t concede against Venezia, but it was a different game,” said Fonseca.
“Honestly, we conceded two goals from set pieces. I trust all my central defenders and all my players. I can choose depending on the moment and the opponent. It’s what I’ll do.”
Lastly, Fonseca was asked if he expected Christian Pulisic to be so strong.
“Yes, I did. Pulisic is a player who can play in many positions, on the wings or in the middle. He is a smart player, and I expected that.”
