AC Milan manager Paulo Fonseca offered a candid assessment of his team’s performance following their 2-1 loss to Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini. The defeat marks a disappointing start to the season for the Rossoneri, who have now failed to secure a win in their opening two matches.
Fonseca began his post-match analysis by highlighting the team’s defensive shortcomings: “I think overall, we played very poorly in the defensive phase. It’s impossible to win matches defending like this. We’re not defending as a team, but we’ve made individual mistakes. We lost duels, we were late in pressing, we left spaces, and made wrong preventive markings – there are many things that didn’t go well.”
Taking full responsibility for the team’s performance, Fonseca stated: “I am the main person responsible for what the team does. I don’t want to run away from that, but it’s clear that there’s a problem with our collective defensive attitude. Afterwards, people only look at the defenders, but it’s also a problem for those further up the pitch. All these chances for Parma are difficult to explain.”
The Portuguese coach identified a broader issue affecting the squad: “This team has a general problem, just look at what happened against Torino. Today we made changes and had the same problems. We are a passive team. It seems to me a problem of energy, attitude, and desire.”
Reflecting on the contrast between pre-season form and competitive matches, Fonseca concluded: “The truth is that we had a good pre-season, but we’re facing reality in these games. It’s easier to play against big teams. During the week, the team works well, I can’t explain these performances.”
