Paulo Fonseca’s side is facing significant challenges early in the season, and his pre-season optimism now feels misplaced. Ahead of their opening match, Fonseca expressed his surprise at facing a Milan side that appeared remarkably fit and prepared for the season. However, after two games, that sentiment now seems ironic.
Following the recent match, Fonseca did not hold back in his critique of the team’s defensive performance. “Defensively, we have been very poor,” he stated. “You can’t win games when you defend like this. As a team, we’ve struggled, losing too many individual battles and constantly being a step behind. We made too many mistakes and allowed Parma to create far too many opportunities.”
Taking responsibility for the team’s struggles, he added, “I am always the main person accountable, and I accept that. However, it’s clear we have a collective problem with our attitude and a lack of aggression. This team is struggling with high pressing, which was also evident in our previous match against Torino.”
When asked if he anticipated these issues, Fonseca admitted he did not expect such difficulties. “We had a solid pre-season, but it’s always easier to play against stronger teams. There has been a significant change in our approach in the league that is hard to understand. Even in training, we perform well, but then we arrive on match day and underperform. It’s difficult to explain.”
Clearly, Fonseca has his work cut out for him as he seeks to turn his team’s fortunes around.