Sept 13 (Askume) – AC Milan coach Paulo Fonseca said on Friday that after his side won three games in a row a first win of the season away to Venezia would be as good as the upcoming games against Liverpool and neighbours Inter Milan would be just as important.
Fonseca is already under pressure with Milan having collected just two points from three games and the situation will only get worse with Tuesday’s derby clash at home to Liverpool.
However, Fonseca is now in desperate need of a win and Venezia’s trip to the San Siro is the priority, with the manager ready to pit his 14th-placed side against a promoted side who are second in the table.
“These (games) are important, even more so now. I’m as confident as ever. It’s important to win tomorrow and then we’ll think about Liverpool,” Fonseca told a press conference.
“Milan must always win, not just yesterday, I watched Venice and they are a dangerous counter-attacking team.
“Against Parma (1-2 loss) we suffered, but against Lazio (2-2 draw) we improved a lot. The problem is defensive organisation and we work hard to solve it. We know the advantages of Venice and we are ready”.
Milan have conceded six goals in three games so far this season, more than any other Serie A team, and the international break has given Fonseca time to address his defensive issues.
“We didn’t have a lot of players at halftime, but we had a lot of defenders. We studied the behavior of the defensive line and individual behavior,” the head coach said.
“We have to get rid of the habit of conceding too many goals. Teams that don’t want to concede too many goals should keep more possession. We are working hard and players should be able to keep the ball and play with the ball. “Understand the importance of management.
Fonseca is fully aware he is under scrutiny after a poor start to the season, but the real pressure will come from the fans, who will be in attendance again on Saturday to support Milan.
“We coaches are always under scrutiny and we depend on results. But I just focus on my job,” Fonseca said.
“After the first three games, having 70,000 fans was a huge declaration of love.
“It is also a big responsibility for us to keep improving and make the fans proud of us. That is what we want to do tomorrow to repay the fans for their support.”
