Fonseca refuses to rule out punishment for Milan penalty rebels: ‘I don’t give a s….’ | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca refuses to rule out punishments for players who ignored a penalty hierarchy in the previous match against Fiorentina and insists he’s faced issues with the team: ‘I don’t give a s….about players’ names.’

Fonseca was still fuming following a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina before the international break.

Tomorrow, the Rossoneri host Udinese at San Siro.

“The first day [after the game last week] was very good. I didn’t see anyone,” Fonseca said at a press conference.

“I was angry, and I don’t like to see anyone when I am angry. We worked with the guys of Milan Futuro. International players returned yesterday. Then we spoke about the Fiorentina game and started preparing for Udinese.”

What did he tell his players?

“All you can think about. It’s normal after what happened,” Fonseca replied.

“I don’t close my eyes in front of problems. I face the problems and I look at everyone in the eyes.”

Milan missed two penalties in Florence, infuriating their coach, given that players ignored Christian Pulisic, the designated penalty taker.

“I say what I think inside the dressing room, face to face. If we have a problem, I don’t give a s…about the players’ names,” continued Fonseca.

“What’s important in leadership is not to look elsewhere when there is a problem. It’s what I do—straight, with the team or the players who made a mistake.”

Theo Hernandez missed the first penalty in the first half, while Tammy Abraham missed the second after the break. The Englishman received the ball from his compatriot Fikayo Tomori, and Fonseca refused to rule out that he’d bench both players against Udinese tomorrow.

On the other hand, Theo is suspended after receiving a red card against Fiorentina.

“Let’s see tomorrow. I think about the team spirit,” said the coach.

“What’s important is the team spirit. Nothing is more important than Milan and we must take responsibility when we make mistakes. It’s difficult for me if somebody lacks the team spirit. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

“I have nothing to prove. I am not an actor. That’s who I am. I’ve been like this from day one. Ask it to the players.”

Fonseca is trying to change Milan’s tactical approach. Is he finding it more difficult than he thought?

“It’s always hard to change. We are changing, and I must understand that it’s a big change, and I must be more patient,” he admitted.

“We need time to change. We start seeing something, and we must continue. We don’t have much time to train and improve in what I believe we must improve.

Fonseca refuses to rule out punishment for Milan penalty rebels: ‘I don’t give a s….’

Paulo Fonseca and Xabi Alonso Bayer Leverkusen-Milan EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHER NEUNDORF

“It’s all connected. Do you think we lost to Fiorentina for a tactical problem? To me, there was more. I think we didn’t have the desire to run more than Fiorentina in the first half. This is part of the mentality. We can work on everything, but to me, the most important thing is that we were not aggressive enough. We had to run more than the opponents, and we didn’t do it.”

Fonseca admitted that he would rotate more in the next games. He hasn’t yet decided on Theo Hernandez’s replacement. However, youngster Mattia Liberali is among the options in attack.

“I believe in the young players we have here. Jimenez, Bartesaghi, Zeroli, Liberali, Camarda, Cuenca. There are many players of a high quality,” said the Portuguese.

“I think Milan created a good space with Milan Futuro because this transition is not easy, especially here in Italy. Milan Futuro was created to help these players grow. Liberali played the pre-season against Real Madrid and Barcelona. To me, it was clear that Liberali has a great future. If he continues working with humility, he can become an important player. When? I don’t know. I know he’s been working with us and is a quality player, but he must continue on his trajectory and grow. He needs the right time.”

Can Yunus Musah play as a winger? Will Noah Okafor start tomorrow?

“I believe I am lucky to have a player who can cover different roles, but playing as a winger right now is not a possibility. Okafor is possible, but I don’t know if he’ll play.”

Who will be the Milan captain tomorrow?

“When I arrived, Milan already had three captains. Calabria, Theo and Rafa [Leao], because they are the players with the most games at Milan. I can agree or not with this, but I respect it. I think this team needs more leadership inside the dressing room. We need other people who can help these players in terms of leadership. A leader is not just who has the armband; it’s much more here, and we need this leadership. I think we have other players who can help.

“Every moment and every game is important here. This is why I don’t think long-term too much,” continued Fonseca.

“The most important game is tomorrow. It’s a tough match, and I can’t think about the other games. It’s about tomorrow, so players must focus on the next game. All games are crucial here.”

Could Pulisic play in a more central position?

“Yes, also because Pulisic is not playing too wide now. He’s like an attacking midfielder on the right. It’s possible,” admitted Fonseca.

“Let me thank Pochettino for releasing the player for the second game. It wasn’t a competitive match, and he was sensible enough to make him rest. I liked his attitude. That being said, it’s the start of the season. If he’s tired now, what are we going to think after 20 games? Christian is in a great moment. He’s probably the most consistent player. It makes no sense to talk about fatigue at this point of the season.”

What’s his view on Emerson Royal? What’s his ideal role?

“We saw Emerson play as a centre-back at Tottenham. He’s covered many positions. I think he can be a defensive full-back, but we haven’t used this structure now, and if Pulisic plays inside the pitch, Emerson has the responsibility to play wide. Honestly, I think that the right role for Emerson is to be a defensive full-back. Let’s see if we can do it.”

Lastly, Fonseca was asked if he’d had fun during the first few months at the club.

“I’d like to have more fun,” he replied.

“Being a coach, not only here but on all teams, is not always exciting. We have different moments. It’s hard to smile all the time at this level. I know one thing. I always bring my passion here, every day. I love what I do, but sometimes it’s difficult for our families, too. I have many difficult moments and others that I really like. Being a coach at this level, it’s not easy to be the happiest person in the world. Even in difficult moments, when we solve a problem, that’s a happy moment. Coaches at this level have issues every day.”