Milan’s head coach Paulo Fonseca shared his thoughts on the team’s progress and recent acquisitions following their victory over Real Madrid. Speaking after the match, Fonseca expressed satisfaction with the team’s development and the integration of new players.
“He has aggressiveness, he’s a left-footed defender, and he will bring physicality to the team,” Fonseca said, summarizing his views on Strahinja Pavlovic. The Serbian defender, who now wears the number 31, officially joined Milan from Salzburg. Fonseca added, “The players here in the United States have advantages because they’ve been working with us from the beginning. However, Pavlovic won’t struggle to learn our way of playing and defending.”
Fikayo Tomori also commented on Pavlovic’s arrival: “Pavlovic is a good player, we’re happy. For me, it won’t matter whether I play on the right or left center; with the coach, the structure of the team is more important.”
Chicago has become a city of optimism for Milan, with the addition of a potentially starting defender and back-to-back wins against Manchester City and Real Madrid. Fonseca is pleased but measured in his response: “I am happy with the courage shown by all the players. I have very good feelings. The result is not the most important thing, but winning always brings positive emotions and makes the players believe in the process.”
Reflecting on the team’s progress, Fonseca noted, “We have a lot to improve, but the first three weeks have been positive. We are working hard with an open mind, and we are already seeing some results in the games. These challenges against City and Real will give the players confidence.”
Playing Style and New Additions
Fonseca outlined Milan’s playing style: “Milan plays with possession, attracting the opponent’s pressure and trying to beat it. We create triangles on the sides and have concepts of positional play, but we will obviously vary with the new additions.” He highlighted the roles of key players: “Theo Hernandez will further imbalance the game on the left. Morata as a number 9 will lead to different choices. Reijnders in the middle is expected to be a real starter.”
Fonseca praised new signings Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah: “Christian is fantastic. His quality is incredible, and he will be very important this season. As for Yunus, I am 200% sure he will be a key player for us. He has the right characteristics for that position.” Musah’s position is expected to be one of the two holding midfielders, as he mentioned in a recent press conference.
Young Talents: Chukwueze and Liberali
Fonseca also spoke about the standout performers from the Milan-Real match, particularly Mattia Liberali and Samuel Chukwueze. On Liberali, a 2007-born attacking midfielder who provided an assist as a starter, Fonseca said, “He plays with courage, but we need to think about what’s best for him, whether to let him play where he can have more space or keep him here with us and give him the opportunity to play for Milan’s future. All the young players are showing maturity and courage.”
Regarding Chukwueze, Fonseca was optimistic: “Last year, he didn’t play much, and when a new coach arrives, everyone wants to show what they can do. I am really happy for him; he is doing very well. I believe he will be important to the team and will make a difference.”
