After clinching the third consecutive win in the league, beating Lecce 3-0, Paulo Fonseca was understandably happy as he spoke to the media afterwards. He admitted that it wasn’t easy after the big game last weekend but that his players responded well.
It was important for Milan to build on the derby victory and although the performance wasn’t brilliant throughout the 90 minutes, they showed just how prolific they can be. Some of the stars stepped up and after that, the Rossoneri hit cruise control.
Speaking to Sky Italia after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Fonseca shared his thoughts on the performance. He also praised a few players before previweing the upcoming game in the Champions League.
On the game…
“After the first two games, I didn’t expect this moment but that’s why football is beautiful. Things change positively or negatively in 90 minutes. We are here, it was important to win after the derby, continuing to win was very important today, because returning to reality after the derby was the most difficult thing but the players understood it and we won well.”
On Fofana…
“He’s an important player. I think the whole team has evolved in the last few games, not just Fofana who is doing well and gaining confidence. I feel he’s growing and is more important for our team.”
On Leverkusen…
“It will be a totally different game. We were unlucky because we are starting with two teams who are very good in Europe. We played against Liverpool who have an almost perfect positional game and now Leverkusen who are the same, maybe even better. We know it will be a very difficult game, I didn’t watch much of Leverkusen as I was focused on this game. Now I’m going home and I’ll start preparing for the game against Leverkusen.”
Morata and Abraham together: for tactical reasons or for their generosity on the pitch?
“Both things, first because Morata’s characteristics allow me to use him in that role, between the lines. If we didn’t have a striker with Abraham’s characteristics this wouldn’t be possible. And then this energy is what I like the most, the one that Alvaro and Abraham bring, which is contagious. Today we saw a Rafa who worked more because he followed these examples.”
Milan will be up against Bayer Leverkusen next, more specifically on Tuesday, and Fonseca will be able to field a rather fresh team. Indeed, tonight’s game didn’t exactly drain the energy levels and this was perfect for the Rossoneri.
