Milan suffered a disappointing loss in the big match of the day, succumbing to Antonio Conte’s formidable Napoli side. The Rossoneri, missing suspended players Theo Hernandez and Reijnders, were defeated 0-2 by the league leaders, who now hold an 11-point advantage (with a game in hand). Following the match, Paulo Fonseca spoke to the media.
Fonseca began by commenting on his team’s performance: “I’m always responsible for what happens on the field. Obviously, it’s not easy to start the game a goal down, but if we look at the result, they scored two goals, but we had many chances. The team had a good reaction after the first goal, we played very positive football and created opportunities, which is not easy against a team like Napoli that sits back.”
Regarding the possibility of winning the championship, Fonseca stated, “I can’t say we’re not fighting for the Scudetto. From how we played and how the team fought, even with several absences, we’re in the race. I don’t remember any team being out of the Scudetto race after just 9 games. We need to continue growing.”
The Portuguese coach expressed his concerns: “My main worry is that we conceded goals that shouldn’t be conceded against Napoli. In any case, we managed to create chances, but we failed to capitalize on the opportunities we had.”
Despite the numerous absentees in Milan’s squad, Fonseca remained positive: “Those who played did well. I’m not looking for excuses; I believe in all the players. And today they proved it. We can say that important players are missing, but I don’t know if we would have done better with them today because those who played did well.”
Reflecting on the start of the season, Fonseca admitted, “I expected a few more points. I didn’t expect so much difficulty in changing the way we play, although this change is starting to show. What I look at is the team’s growth. We need to improve in defense. But I’ve never seen any team that has put on the offensive quality that we put on display today.”
Finally, addressing the situation with Leao, Fonseca clarified, “There’s no conflict between us; it’s just the coach’s option. We try to motivate players in different ways. Then it’s up to the players to put in the right dedication: I don’t have to beg them.”
