Paulo Fonseca during Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
Paulo Fonseca liked what he saw from his team against Monza last night and once again discussed the Leão “case”.
After the defeat in midweek against Napoli, Milan returned to winning ways yesterday (Saturday) when they took on Monza at Stadio Brianteo.
The Rossoneri struggled for most of the first half, but managed to find the back of the net through Tijjani Reijnders in the 43′ minute. It was the only goal of the match. Milan returned home with the three points, and despite criticism from the media and fans online, coach Paulo Fonseca was satisfied with what his team did.
“It was very important to win, we know that it’s always difficult to play here and Monza is a good team,” Fonseca told MilanTV. “I think we had some great moments in attack, which led to a few chances to score. This was important for me, seeing the link-up between the players getting better, more one-touch football… There was a lot of quality. Just a shame we didn’t convert the chances we had, because I think we deserved to win by more goals.”
Where are Milan at right now?“I liked a lot of what I saw in attack; we’re dominating. Almost always, we’re building up from the back. The team isn’t giving the ball away cheaply, and I think that shows great progress. We’re working as a unit at the back too, all together at every moment. We do have a lot to work on but I think we’re on the right track.”
What did you think of Morata’s work and position?“Morata was excellent tonight. Magnificent. There’s been a lot of talk about him not scoring, but he’s creating chances to score. He was the best player on the pitch for me tonight. Really good. I’m so pleased with the work Álvaro is doing, even without scoring. But the goals will come, because he’s getting chances and he will keep getting them. He’s playing for the team in an extraordinary manner.”
Samuel Chukwueze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Francesco Camarda, Theo Hernández and Álvaro Morata at the end of Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
Speaking to DAZN, Fonseca said: “I really believe in teamwork. We need to be a team at all times and we try to get Rafa to play like the others, as a team. If we are all together then it is easier for us and that is what we want: to be a real team at all times.”
In the second half with a three-man midfield, you faced Monza better…“We had difficulties with their wide players; it was hard for Tijjani and Fofana to support our fullbacks. I think that by switching to a three-man midfield, we completely controlled Monza. We created chances, the team played with personality, and we had good moments playing one-touch against a team that marks man-to-man. We had good offensive moments, even though we missed some of the chances we created.”
You’re lacking sharpness in front of goal, and Real Madrid awaits on Tuesday…“Tuesday in Madrid will be a different match, but it’s true—we’re creating chances, but we need to make better decisions and finish more effectively. The team is reaching this moment well, with high-quality play and strong connections between players.”
You kept a clean sheet…“It’s important; it builds defensive confidence. We’ve reached a point where you can see that the team is working together defensively, and that’s crucial for me. We can do better; we shouldn’t allow some of the situations we faced, but it’s normal that other teams create scoring chances.”
Mike Maignan during Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
The coach also had a post-match interview with Sky Italia:
Fofana said that today Milan did not play well but they won… Is the result more important than anything else today?“It was very important to win, yes, but I don’t really agree with Fofana: we had important moments during the match. I think we deserved to score more goals for what we did in the second half.”
Now there’s Real Madrid…“I’m always excited for all the matches, I don’t think the match against Real Madrid is more important than today’s game, there are all important. We needed to win, it’s always difficult to play here: last year Milan lost in this stadium, today we played well.”
Rafael Leão during Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
Did Leão come into the match well?“Yes, he came in well. That’s the most important thing. It’s important to have this reaction from Rafa, that’s what I want. Is he ready for Real Madrid? Yes, I think he’s ready.”
At the end of the season, who will be the player with the most goals? Morata works hard all over the pitch and then arrives exhausted to the goal…“I really like that you talk about Morata – I also want to talk about Morata: He had chances, if he didn’t have them then I would be worried. But what Morata does for the team, how he played, for me – he was magnificent. Without a doubt he was the Man of the Match. He had chances to score and didn’t score, but the goals will come.”
Aren’t you worried about the chances you concede to other teams?“In the first half we were not very aggressive in the duels, but in the second half I don’t remember any chances for Monza. They had 2-3 chances to deservedly score, in the break we talked about things to correct defensively and then we controlled the game.”
Álvaro Morata during Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
Speaking in the post-match press conference, the Portuguese said: “It’s true that the first half was different from the second. Monza created chances on merit, but we dominated and had our own opportunities. In the second half, we played very well, with great offensive moments. We deserved to score more goals and to win by a wider margin.”
Three consecutive games on the bench for Leao, though—is that an issue?“There’s no ‘Leão case.’ Leão started on the bench as a choice by the coach, just like Loftus-Cheek and Musah. Do I need to have a case just because a player goes to the bench? This should be normal; it has to be normal. There’s no issue, no conflict – it’s just a coach’s decision.”
Yes, but Leão is not Loftus-Cheek or Musah…“For you – for you… For me they are the same.”
Christian Pulisic during Monza-Milan at Stadio Brianteo on November 2, 2024. (@acmilan.com)
I didn’t mean in terms of treatment, but in terms of status. When Leão sits on the bench three times, it makes headlines, while with someone like Musah, it’s expected…“No, to me, Leão is the same as Loftus-Cheek and Musah, he’s the same. Status doesn’t play; it doesn’t get on the field. I choose based on what the team needs.”
Morata plays very deep. Is that a deliberate choice?“I can’t explain everything, but I’ll say that Morata was exceptional. He was the Man of the Match, doing incredibly important work for the team. Unfortunately, he didn’t score, but he had chances to. He does great work for the team, both near and far from the goal. Today, I told Morata he was the Man of the Match. The lineup against Real Madrid? It was already in my mind before this match. Will Leão play? Maybe—it’s a possibility.”
Did the team take a step back in their development today?“I disagree, and let’s remember that Monza is a quality team. I saw many positives in our offense, like our build-up play and other interesting situations. I see a team that plays well in man-to-man situations and did well offensively. Defensively, we had a few moments of difficulty.”
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