In the 8th round of Serie A, Milan defeated Udinese at home with a score of 1-0. After the match, Milan manager Paolo Fonseca attended the press conference and gave an in-depth evaluation of the match.
Fonseca began by expressing his satisfaction with the result: "I'm happy because we won and because we did the important things. In the first 30 minutes we played with character and quality, showing what we are made of. And in the next hour, the team showed great team spirit, even though we were one man short. It was very important to see the team coming together, sacrificing for each other and sharing the pressure, which is what we were missing before - teamwork."
He further emphasized, "It wasn't the best performance, it was a tough game. But the players on the pitch showed that they will take the pressure together and defend together. I also saw Pulisic clear the ball at the back post with a header, and those moments impressed me more than the quality of the first 30 minutes. What I commented on was the team spirit that this team showed, which is something we have lacked before."
Regarding Gabbia's situation, Fonseca said, "He had a little problem with his calf yesterday, it was nothing special but we decided not to risk him on the field in order to make sure he was healthy."
On Rafael Leal's failure to play, Fonseca explained, "Maybe it's strange for you not to see Rafa, but for me it has to be the norm. Of course, it's not normal to see him on the bench, but when I emphasize that the team is more important than certain players, this should be our norm. Today I decided to play Okafor and Chukwueze and they played very, very well. Rafa respected the decision in the dressing room and he was happy with it, which is the most important thing for me."
Meanwhile, Fonseca encouraged Leo: "He has to prepare well because we need him. Every game is a new challenge and we need his speed and skill."
Speaking about the controversial moment of the match, the offside goal awarded to Udinese in the 95th minute (, Fonseca said, "I was thinking we were unlucky. Looking back at that goal, I think we were really unlucky."
Finally, Fonseca explained why he chose the starters: "We had more time to train with the players who stayed here. Rafa didn't train on Thursday because he had a little discomfort in his flexors and he only returned to training yesterday. That's why I decided to play Okafor and Chukwueze, who played very well."
