Milan coach Paulo Fonseca believes that facing Real Madrid and playing in the Champions League in general is much easier for his team than playing in Serie A.
The Portuguese coach’s statements came against the backdrop of the 3-1 victory over the Spanish club at the Santiago Bernabéu in one of the biggest surprises of the fourth round of the Champions League so far.
Fonseca: Milan deserved to win against Real Madrid
After the match, Fonseca was asked about the reasons for the victory over Real, to which he replied: “We won because our players had the courage to come here and play without fear.”
“We fully deserved this victory, not only because of the goals, but because of the high quality we showed,” he continued.
“We proved that Italian football is not just about defending, we had the ball, we were patient and we chose the right moment to attack, these are the characteristics of Milan.”
Fonseca explains: Why is facing Real Madrid easier than Serie A?
“People outside Italy don’t really realise how difficult Serie A is, playing in the Champions League is much easier.”
“Monza, for example, play man-to-man, Cagliari too, Atalanta always do and they were the only team to beat Bayer Leverkusen last season.”
“Playing in the Champions League against Real Madrid is much easier tactically, even if Real are the best team in the world, it’s a completely different matter.”
😅 Fonseca says it’s harder to play Monza than Real Madrid
“Outside of Italy no one understands how hard it is here.
Monza play man to man. Cagliari play man to man. European teams struggle against this: this doesn’t exist in other leagues.
It’s harder to play in Italy:… pic.twitter.com/pToMPrMISj
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) November 6, 2024
Milan this season
Despite the criticism that Fonseca has received, especially given his poor relationship with some Milan players, things are going well for him with the Rossoneri so far.
Milan are seventh in Serie A with 17 points. One point from 10 rounds, and one round less than the rest of the teams, which means that if they win their postponed match against Bologna, the difference between them and the leader Napoli will be only 5 points.
In terms of the Champions League, Milan won two matches and lost two, and has 6 points, occupying the 18th place qualifying for the round of 16 play-offs.
