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Tomorrow afternoon, AC Milan will face Sassuolo with the mission of heading to Saudi Arabia at the top of Serie A, and Massimiliano Allegri has discussed the game.
There is a lot that can be said about the game against Sassuolo. For many, it is a big test for the Rossoneri, given it is a game against another of the ‘smaller’ teams in the division, which Milan have struggled with this season.
Notably, they have not beaten any of the promoted teams yet, either. So tomorrow offers the chance for Allegri’s men to even that record out, whilst also continuing their unbeaten record in the league.
Allegri speaks ahead of Milan-Sassuolo
There are many questions surrounding the Diavolo currently, with the Supercoppa later this week and the January mercato only a few weeks away. So, Allegri’s pre-game press conference was quite varied, and his comments have been relayed by MilanNews.
Sassuolo, newly promoted like Pisa and Parma…
“Tomorrow we’ll try to reverse this trend; the numbers aren’t in our favour. Sassuolo is a good team, and they’re in an excellent position in the league table. They’re one of those teams against whom the games never end.
“They’re much more balanced than they were at the start of the season. We need to play this game with great respect and order.”
On Pulisic and the injured players…
“He still has room for improvement. He’s a very reserved guy in his private life, but on the pitc,h he transforms: he’s a devil in front of goal. He still has to find his best form, as does Nkunku, who is growing.
“Nkunku’s physical condition has improved a lot; he had a great second-half performance in Turin. Leao won’t be available tomorrow but will be fit for the Super Cup match. Fofana has recovered, but I’m leaving him at home because he hasn’t trained.
“Athekame has been called up, Gimenez is working hard, and we hope to have him back as soon as possible.”
Milan’s approach to matches…
“There are different phases in a season. We started well and crossed ourselves in the second half. Now the situation has reversed. We need to find a balance to always have the right approach.
“In Turin we had a good second half, but in the first 15 minutes we conceded two goals that could have cost us the three points. We hope to avoid conceding against Sassuolo. Tomorrow is the first match at 12:30, as we head towards the holidays…
“Our priority is to face Sassuolo with great order; games last 100 minutes. We’re playing against a team that can score at any moment: we’ll have to be very, very good defensively to prevent them from exploiting their strengths on the wings.
“Volpato and Laurientè are very good in one-on-one situations and in attacking deep. It’s a complicated match that we must win. Then we have a trip to Arabia. It’s one thing to go there with three points, another to lose…”
About Nkunku…
“He needs to be more relaxed. He’s arrived in an environment where we wanted him completely. His teammates, the coach, and the club have complete faith in him. I told him he needs to smile a little more; if he smiles a little more, things will go well. He has excellent technique, and between now and the end of the year, he’ll do great things.”
Why are Napoli and Inter the favourites? What’s missing for Milan?
“Inter and Napoli finished second last year and first last year. It’s normal that they’re favourites.
“Milan have changed many players, some excellent players have arrived, and we’re on a path where we must have ambition and the conviction to do our best, starting from the foundation that Milan must return to playing in the Champions League.
“Tomorrow we have to take another small step in the standings: we have 31, but there are still many more to go for the season’s goal. The important thing is to arrive in March in the best possible condition.
You’ve been short in terms of numbers for a number of reasons for a few weeks now. Will solutions be found on the market?
“Short, not short… No one can come until January, even if we wanted to. I have to find internal solutions among a group of players who can provide them to me. We’ll do it somehow. The club is keeping an eye on the transfer market, but right now we have to focus on tomorrow’s match.
“Once tomorrow’s match is over, we’ll think about Riyadh and the away trip to the Super Cup.”
On Sassuolo…
“We saw that Sassuolo has very specific characteristics. They also played well against Inter at San Siro. We need to be very respectful and organised in our defence. If we wander around the pitch, we can cause problems.
“To get the three points tomorrow, we need to play a very serious game from every perspective: technically, physically, and mentally.”
Did you expect this growth of the team?
“At first, I didn’t know if they could understand or not because I didn’t know them. They all made themselves available straight away; everyone’s goal is to return to the Champions League, and that’s not easy.
“We’re working well, but we still need to improve a lot in certain phases of the game, like understanding when the opponent is struggling and therefore needs to be defeated. We mustn’t lose sight of tomorrow’s goal: we need to create the conditions to win.”
They say Milan are so high up the table because they don’t play in the Champions League…
“I’m just saying I’d love to play every three days in the Champions League. We’re working towards that. All the other talk, advantages and disadvantages… The advantage is having a strong team with a strong club, with an atmosphere capable of mentally supporting a match every three days.
“The beauty is playing in the Champions League, I like that. Playing every three days definitely makes you prepare worse for the matches, even if I don’t think so. We’re working towards playing in the Champions League.”
Jashari and the possible changes in midfield…
“Jashari has grown a lot since his injury. Thinking about Thursday’s match and then the possible final… What’s the closest match? Tomorrow. And tomorrow we’ll have to try to get the three points. Then after tomorrow’s match, we’ll have to see who are the living, the dead, and the injured. And then I’ll make the choices for Thursday.”
In Turin, we saw you calm even when the score was 2-0…
“I wasn’t at ease. 2-0, let’s say for a moment… The team seemed calm to me; there was plenty of time. Games last a very long time. Against Lazio in Rome, we threw away too many balls, and we got behind in the game.
“Lazio rightly made a bit of a mess. We got behind them. But even with one minute left, you have to create opportunities. And that’s when we lost it. In Turin, however, the team remained organized.
“In Turin, we took the penalty opportunity and Zapata’s goal: we remained calm on the pitch. Games don’t always go the way you think they will; you have to be good at managing the unexpected. You have to stay in the game until the referee blows the whistle.”
Does Tomori have these moments of inattention?
“Tomori doesn’t have it; we all have it as a team. We conceded two goals against Torino, Pisa, Parma, Cremonese… These are situations that need to be improved; we can’t be two goals down after 12 minutes. It happens, but we have to try not to let it happen.”
What does the victory in Turin bring in terms of awareness?
“It brought us three important points, enthusiasm, and energy. But as the boys know very well, the higher the bar, the smaller the margin for error. Tomorrow we need to raise our focus even further.
“When there’s too much positive energy within the team, it can later lower our immune defenses. And we mustn’t let them lower.”
What guys have you found, what people have you found to work with this year?
“I found a group of young men and players who are challenging themselves and want to improve. They’ve understood that they have a great opportunity, that of playing for AC Milan.
“You have to know how to hold on to AC Milan. And how do you hold on to it? Through professionalism, passion, and enthusiasm. Because once you leave, it’s hard to come back. It’s a chance for everyone to do something important for AC Milan and leave their mark.
“The boys have understood this, and they’ll try to do just that.”
What did you write in your letter to Santa Claus?
“We have to train at Christmas, there’s no Santa Claus. I’m sorry, we have matches. I didn’t write anything because I’m happy with the guys I have available. I have an extraordinary and eager group. But it’s the whole environment, the club first and foremost and everyone at Milanello.
“But we haven’t achieved anything yet, we have to keep our feet on the ground. After the defeat in Rome, there was a nice, silent reaction, demonstrating the responsibility the players feel for us being eliminated from the Coppa Italia.”
Milan’s difficulties against small teams:
“Football is illogical. Sometimes it doesn’t have any logic. There are times when you concede goals against small teams and then against big teams.
“The important thing is to analyse where we can improve without being influenced by these situations. In Turin, we conceded two avoidable goals, but there’s also randomness in a match. We mustn’t fall into the trap of not managing those situations well.
“Everyone would like to avoid conceding shots or goals. We work towards that, knowing that our opponents are also making the same arguments as us.”
Does it make sense to talk about another striker with this Pulisic?
“I don’t know if he’ll be able to play further back in the future. I’m just saying we need to try to get Gimenez back, hopefully. Especially so that we have four forwards to choose from. Especially because we have a lot of games in January at a delicate stage of the season.
“With Athekame, Fofana, and Leao back, we’ll already fill the bench. That’s why it’s important to get Gimenez back.”
More on Nkunku. Does he need a high tempo to perform?
“He needed to regain his fitness; he wasn’t in good shape until the end of October. He worked hard. We scored the third goal in Turin because he attacked the near post well and freed Pulisic. He has extraordinary technical qualities; in front of the goal, he’s someone who can score.”
What’s special about this group?
“It’s a group that truly never complains about their work and what we ask of them. They all have a clear objective: they want to seize the opportunity to stay at Milan and leave their mark on the club’s history books.
“We must stay focused, regardless of what’s said, because we have one objective: on May 25th, we must be among the top four teams because, as I repeat, next year, Milan must play in the Champions League.”
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