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The Milan coach, Paulo Fonseca, spoke at a press conference on the eve of the home match against Empoli coached by D’Aversa. Kick-off at 6 pm.

Paulo Fonseca, coach of Milan, addressed the media just over 24 hours before the crucial home game against Empoli, managed by D’Aversa.

The match at San Siro, valid for the 14th round, is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, November 30, at 6:00 pm. The two teams are three points apart with the Rossoneri aiming to close the gap on the top six teams in the league with a victory.

MILAN CELEBRATION (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

Milan, Fonseca’s words

There is always talk of balance…

“With Juve, we were more organized, with Slovan better in transition. It seems like we are improving in some aspects, but then other problems arise. Winning doesn’t mean everything is fine, ignoring the issues. I cannot turn a blind eye, we have discussed the problems.”

What is the biggest problem?

“Sometimes problems arise during matches. Against Juve, we worked a lot on defensive organization and the team did well. Now we faced a transitional team and encountered problems. But the players understand. Nevertheless, we are the fifth defense in the league, conceding as many goals as Inter and Lazio.

We work to improve, sometimes it’s not tactical. The issue in Bratislava is not tactical, but about reading and individual moments. We continue to work on it, on reading and individual technique. The players understand. It is important to work on the problem. We won. Is everything fine? No. When we work on the issues faced in the match, the team responds positively.”

Is it possible to revisit the two-striker system for Milan?

“It’s an idea that remains in my mind. It’s an option when I think it can be an advantage.”

Why does Milan struggle to capitalize on the technical gap compared to opponents? There is never a clear victory…

“It’s not easy to dominate in Italy, not against Empoli, not against Atalanta. What we want is balance, to feel that the team creates opportunities while having defensive security. In Bratislava, after scoring 0-1, there was a chance to dominate the game, but we conceded the equalizer and the team felt it.”

Is it better to have Leao on the field than on the bench?

“Now, yes. I have used two strategies with Leao: one did not yield results, the other did. I’m very happy that Rafa had this reaction, but I want consistency. The team needs this Rafa.”

What does Milan need to do differently in tomorrow’s game to avoid problems?

“In Italy, we need two offensive faces: against Juve and Slovan, there’s one face, another is needed to face Empoli and Atalanta.”

Who will play in defense?

“I have a more stable pair than the others, but we also need to understand that there are many matches and we can’t always play with the same players. Gabbia got injured, it was tough to have him play two games in a row. I know it would be important to have the same defensive players, but there are many matches and there are also injuries. You don’t talk much about this, but we also deal with injuries… And the reason is also because we manage it this way.”

Are you concerned about the 9-point gap?

“Yes, but I am positive.”

Was Slovan’s goal similar to Reijnders’ red card against Udinese: the same mistake?

“They seem like similar situations, but they are completely different things. There is no comparison. With Slovan, it was a corner and there were three players prepared in the defensive phase, but the mistake was an individual choice. I can give instructions on the field, but then there are individual decisions.”

Can we dominate a bit more compactly in midfield, giving space to our faster players?

“Are you asking if we can sit deeper to create more space for the attackers? In the last game, we had two moments. We were forward in several instances because Bratislava defended with 10 players in front of the area. However, we scored two goals with space. The ideal is to have both moments. When we recover the ball, we must understand that we have players to break quickly. But when we can’t, we need to have an organized attack. The goals we score are more from space than from positional or organized attacks. The goals we normally score come more from recovering the ball and having space.”

The images of Guardiola being scratched made noise: is the pressure coaches are forced to endure a somewhat underestimated problem?

“We cannot escape this pressure when we are at clubs like Milan or Manchester City. I don’t know what happened with Guardiola (and the scratches on his face). But being here means facing pressure at all times, every day. Not only with the press and fans, but also internally and with the players.

We are a team that must always win. If we don’t want to feel this pressure, we can’t be here, at this level. I don’t think there is another way. It’s a huge pressure, tremendous. And it’s felt every minute, every day. I say that football is for strong people. If we are not strong, we can’t be at this level of football.”

Will Fofana rest?

“In the hotel, at Milanello. I can’t take the risk of resting him because tomorrow is the most important game. I expect Fofana to play intelligently. If Fofana makes mistakes, he makes mistakes, but I expect the others not to.”

Many teams ahead of Milan have changed coaches like Milan…

“I am sure that in the end, we will be ahead of some of these teams. But let’s talk about it: we had preseason with many young players. The most influential players in the team arrived just eight days before the start of the season, and we never had time to train them. We are gradually growing. We work more with images than with training sessions now. When there are many changes, it’s more difficult.

Napoli is a different case, but it doesn’t seem like the other teams ahead of us had a preseason like ours. Many don’t play in the Champions League, so they can rotate more during the week. There’s no need to talk about Napoli, they have a new coach and all the weeks to work. Then there’s Inter and Atalanta with many years of training under the same coach. If we only look at the results, I am the first to say we need to do more.”

Are you confident about Bennacer and his physical condition?

“We are waiting for Bennacer in the coming days and recovering him for the second part of the season can be important for us. We are confident about Bennacer’s recovery.”

Now all matches are do or die…

“I can say that I am experienced in pressure now. Since I’ve been here, it’s always been do or die. Tomorrow is the same pressure as before. For the players as well: everyone here knows that tomorrow we just have to win. I am not easy on myself because I put pressure on myself. I have never been first, it’s harder for those behind. The pressure to win is better.”