Fonseca: Bove’s health more important than football | OneFootball

Milan coach Paulo Fonseca admitted he went through a “tough moment” when he saw Edoardo Bove collapse during Fiorentina’s home match against Inter, and he feels that ‘football is not important’ ahead of his side’s Coppa Italia home meeting with Sassuolo.

The Fiorentina midfielder made his Serie A debut in 2021 when playing for Roma under Fonseca, who wished him ‘a speedy recovery’.

Fonseca: Bove’s collapse a ‘tough moment’; football ‘not important’ right now

“I was watching the match, it was a tough moment,” the Rossoneri coach told Milan TV on Tuesday, as quoted by TMW.

“He worked with me in Rome, and I feel for what happened to him. He’s better now, but right now football is not important, his health is.

“It was a difficult time. I send a hug from all of us, the team and the club. Today here at Milanello, we’ve talked a lot about what happened. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Fonseca: Sassuolo a ‘Serie A-level’ opponent for Milan in Coppa Italia

Milan will take on Serie B side Sassuolo in their first Coppa Italia round of the season but their coach warned their player to expect a ‘Serie A-level’ opponent, making clear that beating the Neroverdi is a necessary step to ‘reach the final’ and secure a trophy after ‘a long time’.

“Milan haven’t won this trophy in a long time,” Fonseca said.

“We need to be ambitious. But we shouldn’t look too far ahead; we just focus on tomorrow. If we want to reach the final, which should be our goal, we need to win tomorrow.

“For me, Sassuolo are not a Serie B team. They have many players with Serie A experience. It’s not just Berardi. They beat Lecce 2-0 in the previous round, they’re a strong team, and we’ve studied them.

“I told the players to expect a tough game against a Serie A-level team.”

epa11736810 AC Milan’s coach Paulo Fonseca reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match AC Milan vs Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 23 November 2024. EPA-EFE/ROBERTO BREGANI

The Rossoneri’s Coppa Italia tie will fall three days before a crucial and complicated Serie A clash away to Atalanta, and the Portuguese coach made it clear that ‘there will be some changes’, with two of his stars already sure of missing the game.

“If we don’t manage the team and players well, we could face physical problems, and we don’t want that,” he added.

“I trust all the players, there will be some changes, but always intending to win the match.”

“Maignan will not be available due to a dental procedure. Theo Hernandez will also be out due to a foot injury. The others are all ready to play. I’ll field a team to win.”

Milan hope to build on their convincing 3-0 win over Empoli, which also highlighted improvements in players like Malick Thiaw and Emerson Royal, who have faced harsh criticism in the opening months of the season.

“I’m satisfied. We played a good, balanced match,” Fonseca remarked.

“We created many goal-scoring opportunities, we won the ball back high up the pitch, and we’re on the right track.

“We need to work every day to become stronger every day. We need to be the ones to lead the fans, and the team did that in the last match. With the fans by our side, we are stronger.”

“Thiaw is in great form, and Emerson is improving. He arrived late, and Serie A is different from the Premier League.

“He had little time to adapt, but I think the recent games have shown that he’s getting better, and the fans have noticed that. The players need the support of the fans; it’s important for them.”