(Reuters) – AC Milan’s new manager Paulo Fonseca acknowledged that his side had not reached their best form for the Serie A start, with only a last-minute effort salvaging a draw against Torino at home on Saturday.
Milan were headed for an embarrassing loss before Alvaro Morata and Noah Okafor scored two late goals to secure a 2-2 draw, with the team struggling during the first part of the match.
“I did not expect before the game that we would be perfect at this stage, but I must say our first 45 minutes was not good,” Fonseca told Sky Sport Italia.
“We know what these games are like, we must continue working, because there is a lot that needs to be improved.”
Fonseca said the problem was not confined to one part of the team, despite several defensive errors, including an own goal by Malick Thiaw.
“I think it is a collective issue, it’s not just about the defenders. In the first half, we weren’t pressing high and that made it easier for Torino to attack us,” he said.
“The second half was different, we were more aggressive, won the ball back earlier and had enough opportunities to win the match.”
Morata, who scored on his competitive debut for Milan, agreed with Fonseca that the start of the season was not good enough.
“It is not a great debut because we didn’t win and we wanted to send a message,” he said.
“I think we still sent a message, because the team was practically dead and we still turned it around. If there had been another five minutes to play, we would’ve won it.”
Milan will next play at Parma in Serie A on Saturday.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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