Fonseca: We need to move the ball faster in attack

There was no home win in Group A for the Giallorossi, who went closest in the first half when Henrikh Mkhitaryan hit the crossbar.

Here's what the boss had to say after the game...

How much did the rotation affect the performance tonight?

“That’s normal, these players don’t have the same rhythm right now as some of the others. But I think we played without enough attacking intensity. We got into the final third of the pitch a lot but we made the wrong pass a lot, and we moved the ball around too slowly and without enough incision.”

Did you see enough from Chris Smalling to consider picking him again on Sunday against Fiorentina? And why did Borja Mayoral struggle again tonight?

“Smalling has only trained with us a few days, he can’t play every game right now – but we’ll see how they all are after tonight and then we’ll decide whether or not to call upon him against Fiorentina. I decided not to risk him any more tonight because he was out for a while and has not trained a lot with us yet.

“For Borja Mayoral it was just his second game; he’s young, he needs to adapt to the way we play. He worked hard but he still needs some time to adjust.”

The group of players you picked tonight seem to struggle to show their potential over the course of a match…

“The squad is fine, they’ve scored a lot of goals in recent games. If we compared things with last season, the side is definitely doing a lot better. It’s true that today we changed a lot of aspects and that we didn’t have the intensity that I want. But I think the squad has generally started the season well.”

Are you satisfied with the other players available to you? Do you want reinforcements in January?

“We’ll see. Right now we can’t do anything differently: we don’t have a lot of players, we are without Amadou Diawara, Riccardo Calafiori and Davide Santon and we have to manage that situation. But it’s true, our performances in the league are different. However, as I said it’s to be expected that these players don’t have the same consistency just now.”

Do you see a better side than the one that finished last season?

“The team is doing well. They finished last season well, apart from the game against Sevilla. I am pleased with what the side are doing, especially in the league.”

Do you feel the absence of a sporting director at the club?

“I think the board and the president are very close to the team. It’s important to have a sporting director and the club are working hard to find the best solution for that.”