Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome to the press conference from the boss Paolo Fonseca before tomorrow's
00:05derby against Inter. Hello mister, after the defeat against Liverpool some of our
00:13social media channels and some of the photos images showed that you knew how
00:25to handle the situation and the team took the situation seriously. Yes there
00:32was great frustration on part of everybody but we're united and we want
00:41to get out of this difficult situation. The team understands it's a difficult
00:48time and we're working together to to do better. I think the solution is to
00:59work and to learn from defeats and to try and do better. Mister, it's the derby
01:08the best opportunity or the most difficult match? No no it's we're
01:17beginning we're taking the derby as a chance to play against a very good team
01:22but it could also be an important match for us. I like to always see things
01:32positively and we've got a chance to win this match against Inter a good team. We
01:44have to think positively we have to think about what we can do we have to
01:47think about consider that we can win we can play well it's an important moment
01:55for us of course. You say there's a lot riding on this you've got a lot to win
02:02do you have any views on your future does your future depend upon this match
02:08or is it independent? I don't I don't think like this I think the most
02:14important thing is the team and the match against Inter. I've always done
02:21this I will focus on what I can control my job my work I will try and help the
02:29team the team will try and learn from me and we will be ready for the match
02:34tomorrow. The team the match the team and the match are the most important
02:39things. Mr. Fonseca Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to the training ground in
02:48Milanello before the match against Liverpool. Did you speak to Zlatan
02:58Ibrahimovic and what what did you say to him? Did he show confirm his faith in
03:07you in the project or was it something else? I've always felt faith from the
03:15team in my work nothing's changed. I understand the curiosity when Zlatan
03:22Ibrahimovic comes to the training center but I'm not speaking about what we talk
03:27about. I'm always positive and I'm always close to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It's
03:35normal and Zlatan was here like he has many has been many other times. The
03:51football that a team are presenting now and you spoke about wanting to play a
03:55dominant football. What has happened since then? Is it a problem of
04:00communication or is it because many of the players arrived a bit
04:05late in the transfer window or Alvaro Morata got injured? Why are we not
04:10able to witness your style of football yet? I think there are lots of reasons
04:20but I don't want to explain it. I don't want to look for excuses. I want to face
04:27what's happening with hard work, speaking to my players, understanding them
04:34understanding what we have to do. We've had some good moments but it's
04:46consistency, continuity that we're working towards. The team needs to grow
04:53every day and that's what I want to happen and we need to be consistent to
05:02get to where I want the team to get to. We need time yes of course we need time
05:08it's true. You know people can say we haven't done this or they haven't done
05:16that but we're working hard. I don't want to get involved in that. I don't want to
05:24get involved in excuses. I want to focus on what we are working on to make the
05:30team better. Would you admit there's a lot to do at the moment to improve the
05:43beginning of the season? Is there something you would redo that you hadn't
05:50done previously? No, no. I do what I believe and I can't do what I don't
05:59believe in so I will continue to believe in my methods. What I think, I think the
06:05way a team needs to be and the way the team needs to play I'll continue to work
06:09to achieve that. During your career you probably had difficult starts like
06:25currently with results that haven't gone too well or consistency lacking or even
06:33moments during the season like that. Now there's a derby. Is there something this
06:41week in training after the match against Liverpool that you've seen that makes you
06:45feel confident and makes you believe this will be the turning point? This
06:50could be the turning point in terms of the attitude of the players and how
06:55they've worked on the training ground. Do you believe that this could be a
07:05turning point? I'm not gonna lie to you. We're talking honestly now. When I
07:15arrived, when I arrived today it felt like a normal pre-match day. Today
07:25we're the pre-match before the derby and it's difficult. But how would you expect
07:33me to come? I'm coming here with faith, with belief. The players... I wish you
07:50could see the players. I wish you could have seen what we've done this week. The
07:53atmosphere. Because I'm not going to come here and not act like
08:04someone who believes and not act like I have faith. It's the truth. These three
08:09days of training have been amazing, have been fantastic. And then how do you
08:17expect me to go to the match without belief because the players haven't
08:21worked? Well, I have got faith. I've seen the players. My players have worked hard
08:30because of the atmosphere. I believe. This is the truth. I believe. Talking
08:42about the faith you have said several times, which is very important before a
08:48derby. There's been a minor disagreement with some of the fans. Do you intend to
08:58have the same tactical idea and play aggressive football in the derby or
09:03because it's an important match do you plan to change something tactically?
09:08Obviously, every match we have a different strategy. We know we are facing
09:18a very good team. We've prepared the match in order to face a
09:29very good opponent. But there's one thing I don't know how to do. It's to give the
09:37team the other ball. I refuse to do that. We don't give the ball away. We don't
09:41let the team have the ball, the other team. We want to have the ball. We want to
09:45dominate when we can. We want to defend well. I think the team has made
09:51collectively, I think the team has made progress in terms of defending and we've
09:57prepared the team in the normal way with respect regarding the opponent we have
10:03tomorrow. Do you think the club and the transfer market has given you a good
10:23team or a great team? Everything we've planned I've received. Everything we've
10:31prepared I've received to make, to build a very good team. I want to build a very
10:39good team. I don't think we're there yet.
10:46I've noticed two versions of Milan. The team against Parma and the team that
10:58played against Lazio, where Milan didn't take any risks against Lazio. Which
11:07version do you think there could be a third version which can do well in
11:14attack and also in defense? I wasn't sure what you said. In the
11:28first half against Lazio you defended so well. Can I ask you a question?
11:39Why do you think we didn't concede against Lazio? Because you were set up in a
11:43very compact way. No, we had the ball because we had the ball and when we've
11:50got the ball we aren't defending. That's the truth. It's the difference. There's
12:03lots of reasons to keep the ball, to have the ball. We played compact, we played
12:08close to each other, but the main thing is that we had the ball, we had possession.
12:14Derbies are won with the head, with the heart and with the organization. At the
12:22moment Milan don't seem mentally right, heart lacking a bit and the organization
12:27isn't there. How are you going to beat Inter tomorrow considering Inter are
12:32super favorites for this derby? We'll win by scoring more goals than Inter.
12:40Scoring more goals than Inter, that's how you win a match. You speak about having
12:54the ball, having ball possession, managing the ball as the best way, the first way
13:00of defending. It's a concept, it's a very important concept in modern football and
13:06you believe in that. In Italy, the fans are used to a results-based football,
13:14however. How do you find this difference between the two things? Are you going to
13:20keep going on your path? I believe in the way to win and I think as many clubs
13:36think like that. In Italy, it's less about the way you play, it's more about the
13:42result. But when they brought me here to Milan, it's because they wanted to change
13:49something. And I always say what I believe. I think that when a team is in possession
13:59of the ball, they have more chance of winning. And the quality of players that we
14:05have got, we should have the ball more than the other team. We should create lots more
14:14chances. I still believe that, I will always believe this. As I say, I don't think giving
14:28the ball to the other team is the best way to play football and I will always believe
14:33that. I read Christian Pulisic's comments about the match against Liverpool. He said
14:52we weren't able to keep the ball in midfield against Liverpool. If your style is about
15:00keeping hold of the ball and after three or four months together and in a match this
15:05important against Liverpool you couldn't keep hold of the ball. Isn't that serious? Do you
15:12know how much we had ball possession in the match against Liverpool? It was 50-50 ball
15:20possession. If the problem is only having the ball, we had it 50-50. I didn't mean basic
15:29ball possession. Pulisic said we weren't able to keep hold of the ball in the other team's
15:34midfield. It means it's more about being dangerous in their half near the other team's penalty area.
15:45Yes, I agree. We didn't have the ball. First of all, I want to have the ball to make the
15:59conditions for my team to attack at the right time when the spaces are there. Create chances
16:07against Liverpool is not easy for any team. I haven't seen a team do so in the last few
16:23years against Liverpool. But we had five or six situations that we could have finished
16:31better against Liverpool and if we'd finished them better it would have been different.
16:38The problem wasn't how many times we got to Liverpool's penalty area. It's that we took
16:44the wrong decision or made the wrong final decision when we got there. It's about decision
16:56making. Just to finish off the point, Mohamed Salah was the player who touched the ball the
17:07fewest times but when he touched it he made the right decision. He hit the bar twice,
17:13two shots, he hit the bar. It's decisions, it's decisions that are important.
17:23I don't doubt that you said if you say the players were cheerful during training. The
17:41atmosphere outside though, the team is not so great. There's lots of rumours about Fonseca's
17:48future, Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There's lots of talk about what's happened over the
17:54last few months. Another theme is the club contacting other managers, other head coaches.
18:05To me these voices, these rumours from different sources, have they arrived within the training
18:14ground as players, as a squad? No, I haven't heard anything like that. It's the truth.
18:24If I hear these rumours or what the people are saying or what the television are saying
18:30I can't work. So it's not important to me, it doesn't affect me, it's nothing to do with
18:38me. What the people say outside the club is not important to me. And also the things that
18:48people say aren't always true. But for me it's, honestly, it's not important. If it
18:54affected me, if it bothered me, how could I work? How could I work calmly? This is the truth.
19:07If you guys want to... Have you got Instagram? Okay. If you put something on Instagram
19:17and I go on Instagram and I don't like your goatee beard,
19:25I'm sure you wouldn't like it. You wouldn't feel good if I wrote that.
19:30And you'd be annoyed. And there are lots of people that say negative things
19:40on Instagram and social media. And if you read these and believe these, how can you work
19:46in a manner tranquil? The other day I said to my...
19:56My wife didn't like her hair in a photo and I said, well, just don't take photos.
20:02These are small things. What's important to me is what I feel at the training ground here
20:08at Milanello, the people that work with me. That's what's important. I can't say any more.
20:16You obviously watched Inter against Manchester City.
20:25Did that match give you any inspiration, any clues for your Milan? And the
20:35style, the hunger, the determination of Inter against City, the defending, did that
20:40interest you? Can you defend well? I didn't understand the question. Inter's way of defending
20:49in a compact style and giving the ball to Manchester City, but they were also then able to
20:55attack quickly. Do you think teams that defend in a compact manner can then also attack quickly?
21:03Do you think Inter... Is it a question to make me be polite about Inter? I'm not interested.
21:25Alvaro Morata was saying that the team needs to take an extra step mentally,
21:30but there were similar mistakes against Liverpool.
21:36Milan against Liverpool, however, played a very good first 15 minutes. How can you rebuild the
21:44player's mentality and confidence in so few days after the Liverpool match? It's a good question
21:50and it's what I've done this week. I have to remind the team
21:57of what they did well against Liverpool in the first 20 minutes. Mohamed Salah hit the bar on 23
22:04minutes. But in the defensive phase, we did well initially. I have to make the players,
22:13help the players believe that they did good things and I have to make them realise that
22:20they can do better because they've got the ability and they've got to have faith in themselves.
22:27Liverpool is a great example of a team.
22:34They conceded after three minutes, but they didn't change.
22:39They didn't change their style or their approach. With the ball, they played with the same
22:45intensity. Even though they conceded early, they still played the same way.
22:51I know it's a different moment. I know Liverpool are a fabulous team that have
22:58been together for many years. It's a long-term process that started with Jurgen Klopp.
23:06But I want my players to believe in themselves like Liverpool do.
23:13I don't want my team to lose confidence because they hit the bar or they concede a goal and they
23:19change their approach. I don't want them to do that.
23:24I want them to believe in themselves and keep doing what they're doing,
23:28not because we concede a goal. I don't want them to change because we concede a goal.
23:34I don't want them to stop taking risks or to play in a different way. They mustn't change.
23:41Liverpool are a great example of this, of a team that plays, believes in themselves and doesn't
23:47change. Two things. One, there are people accusing the team of lacking a leader.
24:01Inter have got several leaders, Bastoni, Barrella, Lautaro, Cianloglu.
24:08Milan have been accused of not having a leader. But who are the leaders
24:12in your view at Milan? No, I'm not going to nominate individual players in my squad.
24:20When you don't win, it's easy to look for a scapegoat or excuses.
24:31When you don't win, you look for an excuse. When you don't win, he's not a leader, he's not a
24:37leader. I think we have got leaders who do the job well, who are good at their role of being a
24:49leader. But we don't lack leaders. It's not something we lack, leaders in this group.
25:01And the other question, without the ball,
25:08Milan tried to be aggressive against Inter and played low. But to try and win the ball
25:16back against Inter, do you think they need to be tenacious again?
25:20Or do you think Milan should try something different?
25:23I don't think you can separate these themes. Like in every match against Inter,
25:34we have to have the ball. When we haven't got the ball, we have to win it back quickly.
25:41But we're not playing against any old team. We're playing against Inter,
25:49like we played against Liverpool sometimes.
25:54There will be some moments when you can't play low and defend deep.
26:01In the 20 minutes against Liverpool, defensively, what I liked was that
26:07the team was playing together, we were compact.
26:18And Rafa was involved, Rafa Leau, and he was helping out in the defensive phase.
26:23When we need to, we have to play like this.
26:30There might be moments when Inter will drop deeper. We have to be compact.
26:38We don't want to have difficult moments. We want to have the ball,
26:43we don't want to lose the ball easily. And we want to have fewer moments without the ball.
26:58I'm asking about your honesty. You said you don't tell lies, so I'm going to ask you a question.
27:02I don't lie, but if I don't want to give you an answer, I won't.
27:12Honestly, using the metaphor of Ibrahimovic, do you feel like a lion or a kitten? Always a lion.
27:24The first five matches have demonstrated that Pavlovic and Tomori
27:36are the best central defensive partnership, in your opinion.
27:42Did I say that? No, no, you didn't say that, but those two played together the most.
27:48Although, when Gabbia played against Venezia, Milan didn't concede.
27:52Why are they the best couple for you?
27:56No, I managed the three matches in the way I saw fit, all the matches. It's true that
28:03against Venezia we didn't concede a goal, but it was a different match. Against Liverpool,
28:11we had different problems. Honestly, we conceded two goals from set pieces against Liverpool.
28:22I've got faith in all my central defenders. I've got faith in all my players.
28:35The possibility of selecting, depending on the opponent, a match is what I will do.
28:40If there's one player that's been more important for you,
28:54is there a player that you would never drop or never do without? It's Christian Pulisic.
29:03What do you expect from a player like Christian Pulisic?
29:06Yes, I expect he's a player who can play in different roles.
29:15He can play wide, he can play inside, he's intelligent. I expect a lot from him, yes.
29:22Once I read that you're a fan of horses, I hope I'm right. I own horses. Sometimes when you speak
29:41about faith, because the team are training well, it reminds me of horses that train well in the
29:47morning. As soon as they go on the racetrack, they struggle, they sweat, they feel a bit nervous,
29:55and they can't give their best. Is it possible, I'm sure you have witnessed your team looking
30:03well in training, but is it possible that they suffer a bit during matches if they give the ball
30:09away? Do you think that mentally, despite good training in the morning,
30:17they might suffer during the match? Yes, I see them like horses.
30:26What I say to the players is that they always have to play the same way.
30:33It doesn't matter if we're winning or losing. We have to have an identity, we have to have faith
30:39in ourselves. It's not because we've won or lost.
30:55It's a long, it's a new process when you make a change.
31:01Like when the horse trainer changes, it's strange for the horse.
31:06And with time, and with faith and belief, and with work, the horse
31:15believes in itself and dominates, dominates the moment.
31:26I think we're growing, I think we're developing,
31:30and I think we can be like this. Thank you very much for watching.