As AC Milan prepare for their Champions League debut against Liverpool, manager Paulo Fonseca addressed the media in his pre-match press conference. The Portuguese coach expressed optimism about his team’s progress and the importance of fan support.
Fonseca began by emphasizing the significance of the fans’ backing: “The support of the fans is important for us. As it was before and during the Venezia match. Tomorrow will be the same: we need to feel the love of our fans.” He added, “I think victories always bring confidence: it will be a different match, and it’s important that we won the game against Venezia. The team is learning and growing, but obviously, victories bring confidence primarily to the players.”
Regarding the challenge posed by Liverpool, Fonseca stated: “Liverpool is a great team: one of the strongest in Europe. They have a positional game, and we must be defensively perfect. With these types of teams, we know we can’t make mistakes because they will score. We must defend and then attack well. Tomorrow’s match is an opportunity for us: it brings different things from what we have here in Serie A but also brings the possibility to show what we can do.”
When asked about his relationship with the club’s management, Fonseca assured that communication remains normal: “I talk to them normally, about matches, players, atmosphere. There’s nothing new. These are normal conversations. Cardinale? I always talk to him, before and after matches.”
Addressing the team selection for the upcoming match, Fonseca said: “I can’t forget that there’s the derby on Sunday, but I want to think match by match. The same players can play, or I can also change. I strongly believe that this team, in the future, can be very dominant. I want to be more dominant than we are now.”
Fonseca also touched on the midfield situation, noting: “There was Bennacer’s injury, but we have valuable young players like Zeroli and Vos. We are not short in numbers.”
