On the eve of Milan's home match against Udinese in the 8th round of Serie A, head coach Paolo Fonseca was interviewed by DAZN and gave his views on the lineup arrangement, players' positions and the current status of the team for the match.
Responding to the choice of starting lineup, Fonseca said, "It's not a signal to anyone, I just want to win the game with the players I think are in the best shape at this moment against a team like Udinese. It's simply a choice based on the game."
Regarding the placement of Okafor and Pulisic in this match, Fonseca revealed, "Pulisic will operate in the area closer to the inside, he has the ability to excel in such a position. Whereas Noel (Okafor) will be operating on the left side and I expect them to play to their strengths and contribute to the team."
In addition, Fonseca talked about the reason for bringing a number of Milan's future stars to the game: "I always want them to play with us so that they can learn from the real game. For a team like Milan, it's always difficult on international days because our squad is affected. There are only five or six starters left available, so I want the whole line-up to be involved in training and we need everyone to help the team today."
Speaking about why he didn't start Leo, Fonseca explained, "We have a lot of games to play right now, the next one is a Champions League game, and I think we need everyone to be in shape. Today I chose Okafor to start and see how it will be organized for the next game. We will make the most appropriate decision based on the players' form and the importance of the game."
