Atalanta are currently the best team in Serie A and Fonseca accepts that they go to Bergamo as underdogs.
Is this a good time to take on Atalanta?
“It's never a good time to play against Atalanta. We are in a good moment, we are growing and we are confident. However, it is always difficult to face Atalanta. They have won 8 of their last 9 games , scored 25 goals and conceded only 4. They are a very strong team. It will be a very difficult match, but we are ready to play it with confidence.”
Is the team going in the right direction?
“Yes. I think a lot of this comes from the way the team defends, because that brings stability and confidence for everyone. Three or four games ago there was defensive discouragement, but not today. The team is doing it defensively good and that gives confidence.” attack.”
How is Atalanta at international level?
“We haven't seen a team play this man-to-man in a long time. Football is like life: cyclical. You always go back to what was before. Gasperini was a pioneer of this way of playing and now everyone in Europe is aware that it is difficult to face teams like Atalanta and many teams follow the Atalanta model. I read a German study and many teams play like this now: Bayern Munich, Stuttgart… I think they followed Gasperini's idea. to play is a reference at international level.”
A decisive match to turn the season around?
“The team does not need this match to realize what is needed. An important match, not decisive. We are at a good time, but winning against Atalanta would bring more confidence for the future.”
Milan thinks De Ketelaere, former player of the match…
“Maybe he has adapted more to a different way of playing. But I don't want to talk about the Atalanta players, I think their most important thing is the collective. And they are very strong.”
Do you describe yourself as a modern, innovative coach who knows how to surprise? How are you adapting to this reality in Italy?
“I don't like to talk about myself. You have to talk about me. What I can say is that I feel very good in Italy, it is very stimulating for a foreign coach. Here it is different, it is more stimulating to be here and find a different way of seeing things. Serie A is clearly different for me. Nowadays I spoke to my staff and I said that only by being here you can understand how different it is what Serie A is What it means for a coach is very bad difficult. The big European teams now have the opportunity to compete against Italian teams.”
What is difficult?
“The way many teams defend here is different. I am 100% sure that it is more difficult to face a team that plays man-to-man than to face a team that plays zonal. Then there is the physicality, the way of defending. here in Italy is not easy. If you talk about intensity, England is more intense, but here it is different.”
Guardiola said facing Atalanta is like going to the dentist…
“I completely understand what Pep said. It really is a game of sacrifice, dedication, attitude. He says that because he goes to the dentist maybe once a year. But here (in Italy, ed.) I go to the dentist every week dentist.” It's normal at Empoli, maybe they have a different quality, but the way they play is the same.”
How satisfied were you with Leao's growth?
“His growth is the reality, but Rafa has room to improve even more. He did well with his defensive attitude, but I am not completely satisfied: he has the ability to do even better. And he must know in his mind that he can always do better. He scored five goals, he can score 20. We must demand of ourselves and Rafa must do the same: he is always on the right track, but he must not stop now.”
Shouldn't Milan change their strategy?
“The matches are very strategic. We have our characteristics, then we can make some adjustments. We always want to have attacking initiative, but against Atalanta it is not a match where teams can have too much attacking initiative. Can they play catenaccio? No,, I can't remember any games where this was done against Atalanta. So where is this match being played, not near their goal?”
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