Slovan Bratislava v AC Milan, Champions League 2024/25: the pre-match press conference

A.C. MILAN OFFICIAL

Watch Slovan Bratislava v AC Milan, Champions League 2024/25: the pre-match press conference - A.C. MILAN OFFICIAL on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Mr. Fonseca, you haven't hidden the fact that Milan struggle against teams of a so-called

00:16normal level.

00:19Matches against teams like Real Madrid, though, you say the teams do better, have fewer problems

00:25at.

00:26Tomorrow's match is against a team that are a bottom of the Champions League group.

00:34How can you prepare the team and not underestimate them?

00:40We've already spoken about how important it is to win tomorrow.

00:47We can't, we're not looking at what Slovan have done so far.

00:52We're here, we have to play well.

00:57It's a team with very different characteristics to what we've faced.

01:05It's important to us, it's important that we have the right attitude to be able to win

01:09the match, as I said.

01:12How do I say, you can't, we're not going to underestimate this team.

01:29I heard you did an interview earlier on the pitch and you spoke about rotation because

01:36there are lots of matches at the moment.

01:42This rotation, this turnover, could it apply to Rafael Leal, because he was in good form

01:51before the international break, or do you think Rafael Leal needs to play, needs continuity?

02:00I honestly don't know.

02:03We'll see tomorrow.

02:09Rafael Leal is an important player for our team.

02:14He's in good form, but I've got faith in all of the players.

02:20If Rafael doesn't play, another one will play, another player will start.

02:26I've got faith that we can win here, and we really want to win here.

02:33Obviously, we're not playing, the team doesn't play not to win, the team plays to win.

02:44It's possible that Rafael will play, it's possible that he won't play.

02:47And for Tammy Abraham, what do you expect from tomorrow's match, Tammy?

03:04How are you, how are you feeling, and what do you expect?

03:08No, of course I'm happy to be here.

03:16I think we have a good team, like Mister said.

03:21It's my time to show everyone what I'm truly made of.

03:25I think tomorrow we expect a good game.

03:27We just have to have confidence within ourselves.

03:30Coming off the back of a very important win at Madrid, we should have a lot of confidence.

03:38So tomorrow, as long as we just play our game, focus on ourselves, work hard, I think we'll

03:43be OK.

03:44I think, like Mister said, I have a lot of confidence in me and my team.

03:56Good evening, Mister Fonseca, first you spoke about underestimating a match which could

04:04seem easy.

04:06In reality, Milan are showing, or they showed on Saturday, that sometimes an evening doesn't

04:16go as you would have hoped.

04:21Do you know what the real Milan is?

04:23Do you know, at this point of the season, do you now know what the real Milan is?

04:28Is it the Milan that won the derby and beat Real Madrid, or is it the Milan that struggled

04:34against Juventus at the weekend?

04:40What I know is that we've played well against the big teams, and against the so-called smaller

04:55teams we haven't played as well.

05:00We're working hard to change this.

05:03We want to be a team, we want to be an ambitious team with the right attitude.

05:11We want to play well against everyone, not just the big teams.

05:16We're working hard to be the same, to have the same level every match.

05:23Good evening, Paolo, Mister Fonseca, you haven't played any so-called small teams yet

05:40in the Champions, you've played Liverpool, Leverkusen, Real Madrid.

05:51In the Champions League, does the Champions League give your players a different stimulus?

05:58I think it's easy to understand that the Champions League is the Champions League.

06:03Every player wants to play in these matches.

06:07You're a bit more motivated, you're a bit more fired up, and I expect that tomorrow

06:14my players can make the most of this.

06:18And I expect the players to have this motivation tomorrow.

06:27These 48 hours since the match against Juventus, how have the team been, how are the team feeling?

06:33What's the mood like?

06:34Because you were whistled by the home fans at San Siro.

06:37How have you faced these 48 hours?

06:44It's normal that the fans' reaction is normal.

06:50We understand that, obviously, but it's more important how we feel for us.

06:57We know what we're doing, and we know when we've done well, and we know when we haven't

07:03done as well.

07:08We did some things well against Juventus.

07:11The problem is, everything's magnified at Milan.

07:21Every weekend I watched the matches we have at San Siro, like against Juventus.

07:28I think it seems as if drawing with Juventus is a defeat for Milan, but if another team

07:36draw with Juventus, it's like a victory.

07:41What we are interested in, and what we look at, is if the team is working hard, if the

07:48team feels good, feels healthy, and that's what's important to us.

07:59Aside from tactics, I'd like to know what you expect from the team, and if the team

08:06will be hungry.

08:07And I'd like to ask Tammy, Abraham, if he is hungry and fired up.

08:13We spoke today how important the Champions League is, how important these remaining four

08:21matches are.

08:26I think we can win these next four or five matches, and it's what we want to do.

08:31We've spoken about it, how important it is to win tomorrow's match, and for the future

08:40of our future in this competition in the Champions League.

08:44The Champions League, they are matches that we have to be ambitious, and we have to be

08:55motivated.

08:57We always have to be motivated.

09:03Tammy, Abraham, do you feel 100% fitness-wise?

09:11And in the dressing room, what's the ambition like for this Milan side in terms of the Champions

09:19League?

09:22There is a long way to go in the championship.

09:24How is it important to make as few mistakes as possible?

09:29Good question.

09:31For me, I feel good now, I feel better.

09:35I think every day, coming off the back of a long-term injury last season, I think every

09:40day is very important for me.

09:42Training every day, trying to get back my fitness, trying to get back to how I was before.

09:49Like you said, every day I use this to grow.

09:54For me, it's nice being a part of the team, and now I'm ready to go again, ready to give

10:00my all for the team, and help this team win.

10:04The Champions League is very important.

10:06We've had players who have played in this composition for many years, we've had players

10:09who have won the composition, so we know what it takes to get far, and we're going to need

10:15a full team.

10:17Antonio Gioia?

10:25Wesley Fofana has played the most matches, the outfield player who has played the most

10:33minutes is Fofana.

10:38Would you rest Fofana for tomorrow's match?

10:42Well, he's resting now, he's in the hotel now, so he's relaxing now.

10:49He's ready for tomorrow, Fofana.

10:55It's difficult to rest him at the moment, I don't want to rest him.

11:00On Saturday, the fans whistled the team a bit, how did the players take that?

11:15And also, is there a chance of Davide Calabria starting the match tomorrow?

11:22I'm not going to say, they're not going to name the team.

11:29Obviously, Emerson Royale has damaged an ankle and hasn't trained in the last two days.

11:41So, Davide Calabria will play.

11:44And the whistles at San Siro?

11:52It's an opportunity for Davide Calabria to show that he's recovered from his injury,

12:02and he's ready to help the team.

12:05The whistles? I haven't spoken to Emerson Royale about the whistles he received from the home fans.

12:14It's normal, it's our job, it's our profession.

12:18They're the same people that applaud the team occasionally, or when we do well.

12:26You have to understand the moment.

12:29We'll do everything to get the fans back on our side.

12:38A question for Tammy Abraham.

12:40It's the 25th of November and you've already had an intense season.

12:46You were the starting striker in the derby, then you had a bit of a drop and you got injured against Udinese.

12:55Tomorrow is another start.

12:58What would you say, how would you rate your season so far, your first season with Milan?

13:11I think every game is important.

13:13As players, you learn this, that every game is important.

13:17Of course, I played, like you said, in the derby, which was an amazing victory for us.

13:23I've also played in games where we haven't got the performance and the result.

13:28For me, it's just every game, treat it like it's your last game.

13:32Tomorrow I'm excited for the game.

13:34I'm sure my teammates are also excited.

13:36We just have to play our best, play our game and just believe in ourselves.

13:41Let's go to our colleague, Emilio.

13:44I think you need the headphones.

14:11This is never an easy place to come.

14:13I'm expecting a good game.

14:15I know the fans will be on their side.

14:17For us as players, we have to adapt, we have to learn, we have to play our game.

14:22I think as a team, if we play to our full potential, if we believe in ourselves and start well,

14:30I think the result will handle itself.

14:32I expect a good game.

14:34Last question for the coach, please.

15:05Even because I drew here in the last year, I know it's a different team.

15:11The people like to make the comparison between the teams in the Champions League.

15:17It's a team more physical, they play at home.

15:20I know the atmosphere here and I know how much it will be difficult for us tomorrow

15:25if we don't have the right attitude.

15:58No, you just reminded me, I remember.

16:01Yes, it was a difficult game.

16:03But nothing I don't expect.

16:06I expect tomorrow to be a great game.

16:08Two big teams, two tough teams battling.

16:12For us, I have to be biased, I have to believe in my team, I have to believe in myself.

16:17I think we have to take the confidence of what we've been doing, what we've been working on in training every day

16:24and put a performance.

16:26But like I said at the start, I expect a very good game.

16:45May I ask the coach in English?

16:48In English, ok.

16:49Mr. Fonseca, you've been here, as you said, one year ago.

16:53If you see some differences between Slovan from the previous year and this year

16:58because some players left and some players came also?

17:01Yes, the difference is about the players.

17:05You have different players but you have the same coach.

17:08You have the same main players.

17:12The way to play is not so different.

17:18I think what is different is you change some players.

17:30Good evening.

17:33Looking at the last two days since the match with Juventus

17:37and the criticism of not just the team but also Paolo Fonseca,

17:42I'd like to know something.

17:45It's not pleasant for you.

17:47After three months, Paolo Fonseca's Milan doesn't appear to have an identity

17:55or people have said that.

17:57That's an opinion.

17:58What do you think?

18:01I respect the opinions.

18:03I can't speak about things that other people say or what people are saying.

18:12I can't speak about things like that.

18:14But I respect people's opinions.

18:19I don't think it's true.

18:23I don't think it's correct that we don't have an identity.

18:28If you look at our results in the league,

18:33I understand that we could have done better.

18:38We know that.

18:40But if we understand everything that's happened in this process,

18:46it's time.

18:48I've been here in three months.

18:52It's not right to say we haven't got an identity.

18:56We need to watch the process completely to understand exactly what we're doing.

19:03That's my opinion.

19:04It's not right to criticize.

19:06Thank you for watching the press conference.

Category

Transcript

Recommended