9 hours ago
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Massimiliano Allegri believes that AC Milan had the chances against Fiorentina in the first half to make it a much easier afternoon than they eventually did.
A few days ago, Milan dropped points against a Genoa side that are hovering above the relegation zone, needing a 92nd-minute leveller to get a 1-1 draw. This afternoon, the Rossoneri again needed an equaliser right at the death to snatch a point, this time from Christopher Nkunku’s strike.
As much as scoring late on the protect an unbeaten run is nothing to bat away, it is yet another case of failing to beat a team at the bottom end of the table. While waiting to see how Inter-Napoli ends later, Milan could well be five points off the top, or drop a place in the table.
Max’s match reaction
Allegri spoke to DAZN after the full-time whistle to give his thoughts at the end of a game that provided a rollercoaster of emotions. MilanNews transcribed what he had to say to the broadcaster.
Nkunku scored again, a nice positive note…
“That’s not the only positive note. Let’s say we played a good first half; we had some chances to score, but we didn’t manage it. Then, in the second half, Fiorentina pressed a bit harder. After the 1-0, we had the patience to get a lot of balls close to the box.
“After the 1-1, we repeated the mistake we made against Genoa. Seven minutes is a long time; we need to play the ball better close to the box, and the lads know it; we absolutely have to improve.”
You missed a lot of chances…
“It’s not like you can have 100 chances in football. We need to be more precise; we were for a while, and now we’re a little less so.
“The lads are an extraordinary group, we’re working hard, and we’re currently second in the table, and that’s a good result. We have a lot of games ahead of us, and we need to continue our journey.”
Why this sharp decline in the second half?
“I think we did a bit better after that… we conceded goals from set pieces. We have to be careful; those are the kind of goals that determine the game. The substitutions are important; the team gave a lot.
“Loftus-Cheek and Jashari worked well, Ricci had a good game, and Estupinan, on his return, was the same. We needed more playing time and to rest those who have played a lot so far.”
Fullkrug’s impact was seen with his hold-up play. How did Jashari do in your eyes?
“He played a good game. Let’s not forget he’s coming back from injury, he’s back, he didn’t play much, it was a tough game and it wasn’t easy at all. He did some good things; in the first half he played a good ball to Estupinan.
“He’s a talented guy, he just needs to grow and, above all, he needs to understand Italian football. Italian football seems simple from the outside, but there are tactical adjustments for players who come from abroad… They need to settle in, they struggle to understand it.
“I was joking with Modric after the Genoa game, he told me he’d never had anyone follow him the whole game. he went wherever he went. At one point, he said, ‘Excuse me, can you leave me alone for a second?’ He said, ‘No, they told me to follow you everywhere’.
“So Italian football is very difficult. It takes a bit of patience, but his qualities are excellent. Fullkrug made two assists in the first half. He’s a player who, when you get him into the box, becomes an important player.”
Is this the turning point for Nkunku?
“It takes a lot of calm and patience. We need to get to May 25th in top form to get into the top four, and that’s not easy. Nkunku scored a goal like a centre-forward; he’s performing very well there.
“Leao isn’t feeling great yet; in the final minutes, he could have made more impact by taking a slightly more sidelined position to get into one-on-one situations. We’re getting all our players back, and I’m happy.”
Tonight it is Inter-Napoli…
“I’m not thinking about it, absolutely not. We have to focus on ourselves, we have to get back to winning ways, we still have a lot of points to go. We still need 34-36 points to qualify for the Champions League.
“We’re taking it slowly, we’re not losing sight of reality. We started by changing 55% of the players in the squad, we’re off to a good start, but we have to be demanding with ourselves and try to improve.”
English (US) ·