Paulo Fonseca hailed his ‘magnificent’ Milan after they flattened Sassuolo 6-1 in the Coppa Italia, insisting this shows they have learned to avoid the pitfalls of the ‘wrong attitude.’
The Rossoneri ran riot at San Siro this evening and had the win sealed by the 23rd minute with a Samuel Chukwueze brace, Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao strikes.
After the restart, Davide Calabria and Tammy Abraham also got in on the act, but there was still no clean sheet, as Samuele Mulattieri’s finish squirmed through the arms of teenage goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani for the 6-1 result.
“It was a very good performance, the first half was magnificent and also helped me to rest some players,” Fonseca told Sport Mediaset television.
“I have only positive things to say, as we took it very seriously, I am very satisfied with the attitude of the players.”
There was squad rotation to a degree this evening, as Fonseca still started Leao, Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana.
“I always said that I have faith in all my players, that is why they all get to play. I am satisfied today, as some who haven’t played as much this season put in a great performance. They showed me that they are ready and that is what I want to hear.”
Fonseca saw right Milan approach
Milan have dropped a lot of cheap points against the minnows in Serie A, so hosting the leaders of Serie B had the risk of playing with the wrong attitude.
“I told the players that the most important thing in these fixtures is to avoid relaxation. It was crucial we start strong with intensity, recover the ball quickly, press high, and they did all of that.
“In the past it was a problem caused by the attitude against the smaller teams, but today we showed real progress on that score. I can only be satisfied.
“I am responsible for everything that happens in this side and if we had the wrong attitude before, I will not try to run away from my responsibility for that.”
Milan will face either Roma or Sampdoria in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, which will be played in 2025. Would Fonseca like to play against his old club?
“I haven’t thought about that. Now I will go home and start thinking about the match against Atalanta.”
That Serie A showdown against the team in second place will be on Friday evening.
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