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AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri believes Napoli are the title favourites, while he admitted to having some difficult choices to make.
Milan against Napoli at San Siro will be one of the games to watch around Europe this weekend. There are so many fascinating sub-plots, beyond the opportunity for the Rossoneri to send an early message by winning to go above the champions.
The renewal of the rivalry between Allegri and Conte after over 12 years since their last meeting should be box office in itself. They are the two active coaches with the most Scudetti, with Conte one behind his compatriot.
The midfield has a lot of interesting battles too: the brains and quality of Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne; the physical duel between Fofana and Anguissa; the new star Rabiot and the MVP McTominay among others.
Milan’s streak of four clean sheets meets a side that has scored a league-high nine goals in four games. In short, there is a lot of reason to expect fireworks at La Scala del Calcio, and Allegri spoke on the eve of the game in his pre-match press conference, with his quotes via MilanNews.
The last few games, thanks to the team’s skill and organisation, have been very clean, with Milan controlling and dominating games. After these four games, are Milan ready to face tomorrow night’s challenges?
“Tomorrow we face Napoli, who deservedly won the Scudetto. They’ve made a great transfer window, and I think they’re still the favourites for the title. Conte is very good at getting his players to perform.
“Napoli have won 18 of their last 26 games, while Milan have always lost at home against Napoli in recent years: we hope to reverse these numbers. It will certainly be a great match.”
How do you see the game going?
“It’s a great match, the first big match of the season: it will be an important test. We’re in good physical and mental condition, we’ve also recovered Leao.
“The more we work, the better we understand each other. We have to approach the match aware of the difficulties we’ll face: we’ll have to play 100 minutes of good play.”
What is the atmosphere like around the team?
“First of all, I’m happy that tomorrow the fans will fill the stadium and be there for the team. The club must be strong, solid, with a clear strategy: we started this year with enthusiasm and all together.
“We must continue to work; tomorrow there’s a great match to play, an important test to take another small step forward. We must do it with great enthusiasm and desire to achieve certain results.”
Conte said that Milan have a team built for the Champions League. Do you have a better squad?
“I don’t know that. The club has done a good job on the transfer market; they have an excellent squad, a mix of experienced and less experienced players. We have to think about ourselves, work to ensure that in March we’re there to give ourselves a chance of finishing in the top four.
“We have to think about ourselves; I don’t really care what others think. We have to maintain this trend of focus and enthusiasm, with a desire to improve but with great balance.”
How long can Leao play?
“I don’t know how much autonomy he has. He’s been out for 45 days, meaning he’s been doing differentiated training. We shouldn’t focus on tomorrow’s result, we need to focus on playing a good, important match. It will be a test of growth against the Italian champions.”
Have you spoken to Conte?
“No, I haven’t had any contact. Conte’s teams are teams that don’t give away much, it’s hard to score against them. I remember Juventus, Inter, and last year against Napoli, who conceded very few goals and allowed them to win the league. I don’t have to say it, Conte’s numbers speak for themselves.”
With Leao’s return, how does the attacking shape change?
“We’ll see as we go along. Leao needs to find his ideal form. Nkunku is growing like Pulisic, Gimenez has unlocked his potential, and we hope that continues. Then there are the substitutions. You achieve your goals if those on the bench determine when they come on, for better or worse.
“For better, you achieve your goals, for worse, you don’t. Choosing the line-up tomorrow will be very difficult for me. It’s important that those on the bench are mentally available to then determine when they come on.”
How’s the team doing physically? What concerns do you have for tomorrow?
“I have enough doubts about tomorrow, let’s hope we can resolve them by tomorrow night, otherwise it’ll be a mess. Tuesday’s match confirmed that De Winter, Athekame and Nkunku did well. There’s a group of lads that is becoming a team.
“We all have to have a goal, and our personal goals must be put at the service of the team, in order to reach the final goal, which is everyone’s: that Milan play in the Champions League next year.”
Will the crowd play a big hand?
“Having the fans to help us and give us energy is definitely very important. We expect that tomorrow night.”
Modric and Rabiot are untouchable. What do you expect from the third midfielder? Will Fofana start up front?
“The important thing the club has done is that the arrival of Rabiot, an international player, has increased the competitiveness within the group. They are six very good players.
“Aside from Modric, who unfortunately is something you don’t see anymore in football, and thank goodness we have him. The others are all very reliable, and that’s crucial.”
How do you maintain balance in your judgments about the team?
“I really stress this point about balance. Football is a matter of opinion, and perception is what changes the assessment of someone’s work one year and then the work of someone else the next.
“The result counts. There will be games we win 1-0, I really hope, there will be games we win 2-0, 3-2. The important thing is that the team maintains its character.”
How has Estupinan done so far?
“He’s a great player, he’s improving. A great professional, I’m very happy to have him at my disposal. In the last few games, he’s improved physically and technically.”
Does playing once a week help?
“Tomorrow’s match is a big one against the team that won the Scudetto last year. We’re working hard to ensure that Milan have to play the Champions League on Wednesday, Tuesday, or Thursday. Milan must play in that competition. I’d rather play every three days than play one game a week.”
Does a player have more fun with Conte or Allegri?
“I don’t know, you’ll have to ask the players. I have great respect for Antonio, he’s a great professional. Everyone has their own character, maybe we’re as different as we are similar. He’s achieved great results in his career and he’s still achieving them.”
Have you evolved during your sabbatical? Or are you the same as always?
“During the year I’ve been out, I’ve watched a lot of matches. That’s why you need balance. Tomorrow’s game will go badly, let’s hope not, and Allegri hasn’t evolved any further. Then there are games where you play well, games where he scores, and dirty games.
“There will be games where you can’t play, but you have to get home the result: you can’t always get home the result with clean games; in a season, you have to win seven or eight games dirty. You have to be ready for that too.”
Bookmakers have Milan as favourites tomorrow…
“I don’t know what others think, I know what I see and what we’re working on. We’re still on matchday five. There are still 34 games to play, 102 points… There’s still a lot of water under the bridge that needs to pass.
“One small step at a time, we need to maintain this balance. We need to work on it and we need to know that at Milan, winning games is the norm, losing must become the exception. Having a clear focus on the final result can bring us a few more points.”
How important is it not to miss the opportunity tomorrow?
“I don’t know. The important thing is to play well, have a good game, and try to get a result. If we win, we’ll all be happier; we’ll accept a draw willingly. If we lose, then we’ll have to work on what went wrong.
“Tomorrow we face a team that has won 18 of its last 26 games. In September, Milan have only beaten Napoli a handful of times in its history. We’ll have to be good at overturning these numbers.”
Can Pulisic and Nkunku start together?
“Everyone’s fine. The important thing is that they get on the pitch and whoever’s on the bench is ready for the decisive moment. Everyone wants to play, but I can’t play more than 11.
“In the end, we all achieve our goals: the ones who ultimately determine the seasons are almost always the ones who come on.”
Are Milan already ready after these first few weeks?
“We’ll see about that tomorrow, the first test is tomorrow. But every Sunday or Saturday there will be a test. We need to work. We haven’t solved anything in a month. We’re neither in the Champions League nor have we won the Scudetto.
“Tomorrow will be a good match and a good test. Tomorrow won’t decide the Scudetto or our Champions League qualification. A minimum number is needed to get to the Champions League; it’s not like tomorrow, if you win, you’ll get 70 (laughs).”
What can Modric give?
“He can give what he’s always given throughout his career, in his 13 years at Real Madrid, where he won so much. He’s also given what he’s given in these months since he arrived at Milan: professionalism and great technical ability.
“It’s a shame that, unfortunately, there are so few players like Modric in the world. You can’t even count them on the palm of your hand.”
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