“Benching Theo and Leao? It should not be seen as a punishment”

Paulo Fonseca spoke to DAZN just minutes before the match against Lazio. Here are the words of the Milan coach:

On benching Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao:

“People might see this as a punishment, but it will never be like that. It’s a choice based on what we need. Theo isn’t physically well, I talked with them, and they understood. We need to make decisions that are best for the team. Today, we need to be a team if we want to win. My choice is based on the players’ condition, the team’s situation, and what we need.”

On the work done during the week, Fonseca commented:

“We are aware of what we need to be as a team. As I said, we all agree on what needs to be improved. Today, we want to play a good game, including defensively, which is the area where we need the most improvement. We’ve also worked on tactics to make better decisions.”

On Tammy Abraham:

“Normally, I don’t bring players who arrive on the day of the match or the day before, but we are in a special situation. Luka (Jovic) is injured, Tammy has been training consistently. Now we’ll see if we need him or not. He’s ready to help the team.”