Paulo Fonseca expressed his frustration after Milan’s defeat against Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. In his post-match comments, Fonseca addressed several key issues from the game.
Regarding the penalties awarded during the match, Fonseca was critical of the current state of officiating in football. He stated, “I don’t want to contribute to this circus. Every minimal contact is a penalty. This is not football.” The coach emphasized his love for the game and his reluctance to discuss refereeing decisions, whether they favored or went against his team.
Fonseca acknowledged that the team’s formation had been effective until this match but pointed out a lack of aggression in the first half. He specifically mentioned the ease with which Fiorentina scored their first goal, attributing it to a lack of intensity in duels.
The coach also addressed the issue of missed penalties, stating that it becomes difficult to win a match after missing two penalties and conceding a goal like the second one, even when creating numerous opportunities.
When questioned about the goals conceded, Fonseca again highlighted the lack of aggression, particularly from the forward players in closing down spaces. He explained that this led to the team becoming stretched and losing second balls.
Regarding substitutions, Fonseca revealed that he replaced Rafael Leao with Noah Okafor to add more depth to the attack. He also mentioned concerns about Christian Pulisic, who had experienced a flexor problem during the week.
In a separate interview, Fonseca expressed his anger about the penalty-taking situation. He emphatically stated, “Pulisic is the penalty taker. I don’t know why the players changed their minds. I spoke to them and said it must never happen again.”
