Motta brands Milan a ‘great team’ but gives little away when asked about Tomori | OneFootball

Juventus boss Thiago Motta refused to give much away when asked about Fikayo Tomori, insisting AC Milan have several quality players.

Over the past few days, there has been a lot of speculation suggesting that Juventus could try to repeat the Pierre Kalulu operation from the summer by signing an out-of-favour centre-back from Milan.

However, their plans might well have been disrupted by the change in coach from Paulo Fonseca to Sergio Conceicao. While the former didn’t use him much towards the end, there is now a clean slate and a new chance for the Englishman to impress, and possibly get his starting spot back.

After Conceicao spoke this morning in his first pre-game press conference since being announced as the new coach, it was Motta’s turn. MilanNews transcribed the questions from journalists, and his responses.

Have you spoken to Francisco Conceicao?

“We’ll see if he plays or not, he’s fine and motivated. Nothing will change for him. He’ll stay focused on his work and the match.”

Is Koopmeiners more useful in midfield or as a second striker?

“Both, he can play both roles. But he could also start from the bench.”

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At Juve, winning is the only thing that matters…

“I have never seen a team play to lose. Tomorrow is a different competition, we have to do things to the best of our ability as a team.”

What kind of team are Milan?

“Milan is a great team, with good players and a coach who did very well with Porto.”

Will Milan change a lot?

“We will certainly be ready to face the best possible Milan, because we will enter the field doing what we have to do.”

How do you expect Milan after the change of coach?

“We will certainly be ready because we know what we have to do against a great team, used to important competitions. What counts is who we are and not who they are.”

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

What should make the difference tomorrow?

“In the end, in a football match everything makes the difference, starting from the small details: as I said before, we will have to be focused and determined to be the best version of ourselves, to improve what didn’t work and give continuity to what we did well.”

How much do you care about your first trophy as a coach?

“I want to win as a coach, that’s why I chose this profession. But for me today it’s not an obsession, I have to be calm and convinced of our strength. Tomorrow we have a beautiful match with respect for the opponent and the desire to impose our game.”

What do you think of Tomori?

“I don’t talk about other people’s players, I talk about my own. I spoke collectively, Milan have many strong players and it’s obvious to everyone. I answer about my players, not about others, because I wouldn’t want others to talk about mine. I’m very jealous.”