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Fonseca Defends Milan Starting Too Passive
AS Roma coach Paulo Fonseca has defended his decision to start with a passive lineup against AC Milan, claiming that the strategy was designed to counter the opponent’s strengths. Fonseca‘s side was criticized for its lack of aggression and creativity in the 2-0 loss at the San Siro, but the Portuguese tactician believes that his team’s approach was necessary to neutralize Milan‘s attacking threats.
Defensive Strategy
Fonseca explained that the decision to start with a more defensive lineup was made to prevent Milan from exploiting Roma‘s weaknesses. He pointed out that the Giallorossi had struggled in previous matches against teams that pressed high and attacked with pace, and therefore, he opted for a more cautious approach.
‘We knew that Milan are a team that presses a lot and has a lot of pace in attack,’ Fonseca told reporters. ‘We decided to start with a more defensive lineup to try and neutralize their strengths. We wanted to be more compact and not give them space to attack.’
Counter-Attacking Strategy
Fonseca also defended his decision to start with a counter-attacking strategy, which was criticized for being too passive. He argued that the approach was designed to catch Milan off guard and exploit their weaknesses on the counter.
‘We wanted to be more compact and wait for the right moment to counter-attack,’ Fonseca said. ‘We knew that Milan would have a lot of possession and we wanted to use that to our advantage. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to create enough clear-cut chances.’
Player Selection
Fonseca was also questioned about his player selection, particularly the decision to start with Edin Dzeko on the bench. The Bosnian striker has been Roma‘s top scorer this season, but Fonseca opted to start with Cengiz Under and Henrikh Mkhitaryan up front instead.
‘Dzeko is an important player for us, but we decided to start with Under and Mkhitaryan because they offer different qualities,’ Fonseca explained. ‘We wanted to have more pace and agility up front to try and catch Milan off guard. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned.’
Future Plans
Despite the criticism, Fonseca remains confident in his tactics and believes that they will pay off in the long run. He vowed to continue working on improving the team’s performances and adapting to different opponents.
‘We will continue to work on our tactics and adapt to different opponents,’ Fonseca said. ‘We will analyze our performances and try to improve. We are not happy with the result, but we are confident in our abilities and we will keep working hard.’
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