Fonseca discusses Morata doubts and Leao’s current difficulties: “He can do better”

Ahead of AC Milan’s clash against Lecce, Paulo Fonseca has spoken to the media about the work being done to get Rafael Leao back to his best, and the doubts in place over Alvaro Morata’s condition.

The picture has changed at Milan, courtesy of the result against Inter last weekend. A result that arrived because of Paulo Fonseca’s bravery and his ability to unite the group to fight for one another.

Last weekend, Fonseca was hosting his last press conference before his probable sacking, today, he hosts one that, perhaps, signifies the true start of his Rossoneri tenure, with a squad that are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the team.

Of course, the errors of the season’s opening will not be forgotten. However, the Portuguese coach has the tools to make his squad work, and with his players now showing their willingness to commit to his ideas, the road forward may be a positive one.

This afternoon, Fonseca spoke to the media about the doubts for the game against Lecce and Milan’s possible psychological block, and his words have been relayed by Milan News.

How important is it now to give continuity by exploiting the trail you have created?

“This next game is very very important. We have to confirm that we are growing. I think the derby win makes sense if we win with Lecce and confirm that we have improved. We have to make up points. This is important to have motivation tomorrow. It’s a dangerous game after the derby, when you win important games afterwards it’s more difficult. But we cannot make a mistake, we must win.”

Was the team’s blockage psychological?

“I don’t want to go back to the derby. The game was over when I left the stadium. At this moment the mental part is very important, maybe more important than technique and tactics. Matches are emotional, being well-balanced, energetic and motivated is very important.”

Now three matches, including one in the Champions League. Is your idea to consolidate the formation?

“We want to have continuity, and to have continuity we want to play the same team. We have doubt about Morata for tomorrow, a contusion caused him bursitis. We have this doubt, let’s see tomorrow.”

Does Leao have the right mental charge?

“We are also working a lot individually with Rafa, also defensively. He’s working well defensively, he’s pressing, he’s coming back. He can do better but he’s growing defensively. We were a team defending, Rafa included. He had three opportunities to be decisive in the derby, I don’t think he can’t be a defensive player at the same time. For me he’s doing a good job, he’s playing as a team and that’s the most important thing right now.”

On Abraham…

‘Abraham has an infectious energy which is important for me. Having players like Abraham and Morata who bring ambition and energy to the team, even in training… He works for the team.’

Without Morata will we come back with a midfielder in his place?

“Jovic is not a striker with characteristics to do this. Without Morata there will be Loftus or Reijnders to do this role.”

You have never hidden that it takes a lot of work to play the football you want. Where are we today?

“Percentage-wise I don’t know, but we are far away. Defensively I don’t think the team has grown that much. We are closer to what I think the team can do. I think we have grown, although defensively I would have liked to have seen other things. Offensively we have to grow a lot. We have the qualities to do it, we are improving, but we can grow.”

Was the derby victory a sign in view of the Scudetto?

“It’s been a long time since Milan won a derby, it brings confidence and another atmosphere in the team. I’m like that, I always try to be balanced. A game can obviously help the players with confidence, but it’s just one game. If we don’t win tomorrow then we go backwards. We have to forget the derby, just concentrate on the next game which is the most important.

“The atmosphere is positive and that’s important, but it’s also important to realise that the derby is in the past and doesn’t matter anymore. It was important but the future is more important. On the Scudetto I keep saying what I said on the first day: at Milan, we have to think about the Scudetto, we cannot think about anything else.”

Were you surprised that before the derby he was considered on the verge of exoneration and after the game he was considered a genius?

“We Latinos are like that. I have been in a square that was like that: if we win we are the best, if we lose…. I don’t want to say that word [he laughs]. I have done the same as I have done in recent weeks. Sometimes when we don’t do well we don’t want to read anything, but when we win it’s different: but for me I didn’t change anything, I didn’t read anything.

“We have to keep working, keep learning, keep improving: that’s the most important thing for me. One day when I was in Portugal I went out with my son, he was 12 years old. He told me the fans were angry with me: I told him they were angry that day, and the next day they would applaud.

“This is what football is, emotion, moments of sadness and joy. To be a fan is to be this. It is not being balanced. I have to be the opposite, I am the coach and I have to be balanced. But I understand the irrationality of the fans’ love, I don’t have any negative feelings inside me for those who were not with me before and are with me now. I know that’s how it is.

What is your idea of turnover?

“I like to do it, I have confidence in all the players. But we have to understand the moments and I think now is not the time to change too much, it’s the time to have continuity, to stabilise the team. In the future if we have chances I would like to do that, also because we have so many games.

“I think when we are a real team at all times it’s easy to change, you don’t feel anything. When we are not the team I think we can be it is more difficult to change: we are trying to be this type of team so then when we change you don’t notice anything.”

Is he looking for a starting centre pair?

“Right now in my head, I don’t have this worry about changing. Gabbia is playing because he deserves to play: he is one of the strongest at building with the ball, but he is also a player who orients the team very well, the defensive line, the moment to shorten or slide.

“He has a very strong positional game, for me it is important to stabilise the defensive line at this moment, tomorrow Gabbia and Tomori will play to try to have this continuity. Then with Bayer, we’ll see.”

More difficult to win a derby or to confirm?

“The responsibility here is always the same. What is more difficult for me are the victories. I think it’s normal. The day before the match with Inter I knew the players were motivated, and mentally ready.

“What’s dangerous here is playing with Lecce. In the players’ heads, there is not the same difficulty as with Inter. But we have to make the players understand, the most difficult thing, is to make them understand that we have to play the same way.”

Is Morata in the balance for tomorrow?

“He is summoned, we’ll wait until tomorrow to see how he is but right now what I can say is that he is in doubt. I don’t know if we can use him tomorrow. I don’t want to take risks and lose him for more time. Let’s see tomorrow.”

So did you convince the players to stay alert for tomorrow as well, perhaps with something special?

“This week no barbecue, nothing special. We had a normal meeting.”

Is Fofana unique in terms of characteristics in the squad?

“We don’t have Bennacer now, he can do the same position. Musah also can play in this position. Fofana is a passing player, and Musah is a ball carrier. We need Musah to become like Fofana.”

Is Chukwueze being penalised by Pulisic’s form or does he need to grow into his footballing idea?

“He had a very good pre-season when he had space against big teams. When we came here, against Torino and Lazio, I think Chukwu was not as good as in pre-season. It’s not a problem of quality but of confidence.

“He needs to gain confidence and play in this context: in Serie A he has no space, he has to make movements at the right time, he has little time to decide. He came in well against Inter, he has to grow in games maybe like tomorrow’s, without space. He must grow in this.”

Who comes close to Reijnders in terms of technical qualities?

“I think we all agree that Tijji is a unique player in our team, we have no other players with these characteristics. I just think about the next game, let’s see after that if one day we don’t have Tijji what we can do. But he’s a very important player in our team who is not easy to replace.”

Emerson Royal gave positive responses against Inter. Can he grow further?

“We can’t forget that he arrived late and didn’t have many defensive organisation training sessions with us. I think the biggest difficulties were defensive, here he can improve and I’m sure. Offensively he is a strong player, defensively he can improve.”

The hug with Morata after Gabbia’s goal…

“A normal moment, of joy, of euphoria.”

Pessoa wrote ‘The Devil’s Hour’. Do you want to be the second Portuguese to write it?

“He was a great Portuguese writer, but I haven’t read him. We study it at school. I don’t want to say what I think otherwise the Portuguese will kill me [laughs]. I like another kind of reading.”

Despite the match against Inter, you said you want to see Milan improve further, so how high can they go?

“When I say that the team has a lot to improve offensively I think about what Milan’s game should be. If we see the game against Inter what I looked at was that the team was very short, not letting Inter play the game they normally do.

“We had the ball, but we didn’t have so many moments of organisation. But we had many moments of transition: we were getting the ball and going forward. I see great teams defending with a low block, and I think this is the context for Milan. This is where I think we have to improve, in our positional play: we have to dominate going forward, have the patience not to lose the ball.

“Milan is a team that needs to play more time in the offensive half of the pitch. We had the ball with Inter but we didn’t have so much connection in the first phase, the opportunities we had were almost all in offensive transition.”