Paulo Fonseca has hailed his Milan players after ending Rossoneri’s win drought in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday. Goals from Christian Pulisic and Matteo Gabbia guided the 19-time Serie A champions to a potentially season-defining 2-1 triumph against defending champions Inter.
Fonseca’s tenure at San Siro was in question ahead of the derby. Milan had only won one of their opening four league matches and lost 3-1 to Liverpool at the start of their Champions League campaign. Rumors about his dismissal were spreading like a virus.
However, unfazed by the pressure, Fonseca fielded a 4-4-2 formation, a set-up unseen at Milan since the glory days of Silvio Berlusconi. It seemed like a last-ditch attempt from a desperate man to save his job, but it worked miracles.
Milan outplayed Inter for the first time in years and deservedly took the victory. Sunday’s win could be a turning point for Milan as they drew level on points with the Nerazzurri after five rounds, closing the gap on table-topping Torino to only three points.
“It was the derby, Milan hadn’t won it for a while, and of course, it was important for our current form. I think the players showed a lot of courage and we deserved the win. I don’t remember seeing a team that caused this many problems for Inter in a long time,” Fonseca said, as reported by Pazzi di Fanta.
“I don’t think we did change the structure of the team. We just did something a little different, which was that if we have difficulties, then Fofana can go between the central defenders in protection. What changed were the players,” the Milan boss was adamant.
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