Tue Oct 01 22:49:46 UTC 2024: ## Milan Coach Defends Performance Despite Champions League Defeat
Milan coach Paulo Fonseca has defended his team’s performance despite their 1-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, calling it “the performance I liked the most” since taking charge.
Despite being without a single point after two games, Fonseca highlighted the team’s second-half resurgence after falling behind to Victor Boniface’s goal. He pointed to numerous chances created, including a Theo Hernandez shot that hit the crossbar and a header that went wide from Alvaro Morata.
“We were sad in the dressing room, but we must also be balanced and recognize what we did,” Fonseca stated. “I am not satisfied with the result, but I am satisfied with the approach.”
The coach explained the team’s defensive tactics in the first half, stating they were designed to counter Bayer Leverkusen’s strong positional game. He dismissed concerns about Rafael Leao not providing enough support to Theo Hernandez defensively, arguing that the other flank had more problems.
However, Fonseca expressed frustration at the lack of VAR intervention when Ruben Loftus-Cheek appeared to be fouled inside the penalty area by Piero Hincapie. “What is strange for me is that VAR did not intervene. It’s on the line, so it has to be a penalty,” he said.
Despite the setback, Milan face a challenging but achievable schedule ahead in the Champions League. Their next fixtures include home games against Club Brugge and Girona, as well as away matches against Real Madrid, Slovan Bratislava, and Dinamo Zagreb.
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