1 week ago
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AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri has defended Santiago Gimenez despite his lack of goals, and set a lofty target for Rafael Leao.
Allegri cannot have enjoyed his Friday night, as Milan dropped more points against a newly-promoted side in a 2-2 draw against Pisa. Rafael Leao’s goal early on made it a perfect start, but Juan Cuadrado and M’Bala Nzola then turned the game on its head.
Nzola’s goal looked like being the winner given it came in the closing stages, yet Zachary Athekame was the unexpected late rescuer of a draw for Milan, firing in from a long way out off the base of the post.
The draw meant that the Diavolo surrendered top spot, with Napoli and Roma both winning. Now, a huge week awaits given that the trip to Atalanta on Tuesday night is followed by the Giallorossi coming to San Siro on Sunday night.
Allegri previews Atalanta
Allegri spoke to reporters at Milanello on the eve of the short trip to Bergamo to face Ivan Juric’s Atalanta side, and his comments were relayed by MilanNews.
On paper, a series of important matches begins for Milan. How are the team approaching this period?
“We knew the schedule until the next break had some tough matches, but they’re all tough and difficult. We made life difficult for ourselves even on Friday against Pisa: we could have done better. It’s important to focus on tomorrow’s match.
“Tomorrow we’ll have Loftus-Cheek back. Before the Parma game, we’ll have Pulisic and Estupinan back. We hope they’ll be available for Roma, so we can then tackle the post-break period with a fully-fledged squad.We have a limited number of players, but they’re enough to tackle these games until the break.”
Could Nkunku start? Are the team suffering from tiredness?
“He’s improving in condition, having been sidelined for a good few days with a finger injury. We expect a lot from him; he has extraordinary technique. If the same players play, they’ll know each other better, and maybe we’ll play better.
“Physically, we’ll train less and recover better: this is the most dangerous period for injuries due to the accumulation of matches. Playing in Bergamo is always difficult; it will be a direct clash because Atalanta is one of the candidates for the top four spots.”
Can Leao score 20-25 goals?
“I think he can score that number of goals. He’s improving in fitness, and he’s becoming more confident in his abilities as a striker. He needs to improve inside the box: he’s had some big chances but hasn’t capitalised on them.
“He needs to be more clinical, he needs to improve a lot in the box, but he scores some good goals from outside the box. He needs to improve, like the whole team.”
Gimenez remains without a league goal…
“Tomorrow everything can change in an instant. Santiago is doing well, he works hard for the team. It’s not like he came on and does well against Fiorentina, so he has to play, then he doesn’t have a good game against Pisa, so he has to be left out.
“You’re either good or you’re not. Gimenez is a good player, he’s always scored goals and he’ll do them for Milan too.”
Serie A seems to be wide open this season…
“The Italian league is still wide open right now, so we’ll see who has the strength to maintain their results. On paper, Friday was a two-point loss, but on the pitch, it was a point gained.
“And tomorrow, we need to maintain consistency against a physical and technical team to then prepare as best we can for Sunday’s match against Roma.”
How do you view the constant refereeing errors?
“We have to move forward, absolutely. There’s no going back. Refereeing is very difficult in this football where the pace is crazy and there are so many clashes. VAR has improved so many things, when things become subjective it creates arguments.
“We should let them referee, they make mistakes just like we do, everyone makes mistakes. We need more serenity in accepting mistakes. When they’re in favor, we turn a blind eye, when they’re against, we open a third eye as well (laughs). There are young referees just like young players… With time, everything will work out for the better.”
How will you manage Modric’s minutes?
“Luka is very good at managing himself, and he’s so good at playing in front of the defence that he runs well and makes it look like he’s running a lot. He also plays wonderful football, so the more he plays, the better it is for everyone.”
Was the contact on Gabbia enough for a foul to be called?
“I don’t know the answer. I’ll just say something important I told the team: We need to grow and accept the decisions. In the final five minutes against Pisa, we needed to have the confidence to build three chances that could lead to a goal.
“We played poorly at that moment, because we had nine men in the penalty area, and they had the chance to win. That’s why we shouldn’t think about the referee’s decisions. If you know you’re strong, you can win the game in five minutes. The rest is just controversy, and we shouldn’t get involved.”
When will Pulisic be back?
“Absolutely not against Roma. We hope to have him on the bench against Parma.”
And Jashari?
“He could return to the group on Wednesday, then he’ll need to re-acclimate, and it’ll take time, but just having him back with the team is great, for him too.”
What was your mood like after the Pisa game?
“It could be very important if we improve these situations. We managed things well after the 1-1. In the last five minutes, we were too hasty, and haste leads to mistakes. We started launching these balls into the box, and with 20 people in the box, you can only start a counter-attack.
“Fortunately, we didn’t concede, but we should have managed things better. It was a game that, if we were to draw, should have ended 1-1, not 2-2.”
Tudor is the verge of being sacked, what are your thoughts? Are you you expect anything from the January window?
“If he’s sacked, I’ll be very sorry; he’s a great guy. Milan’s squad is strong, and these unexpected injuries happen. We’re recovering. Those who are playing are performing well. We’re in good shape physically, and we’ve also played some good games technically.
“We shouldn’t worry about who’s missing; we have other very good players who can play. It’s not like we’ll win or lose if these five players are missing. Once we’re back at full strength, we can only improve; AC Milan’s squad is strong.”
What should coaches do to help referees?
“Speaking for myself, I should get less angry, but I’m human too and can go out of line. But I have to try to contain myself even in that moment.”
The season feels like it is moving into the next phase…
“Tomorrow we play Atalanta, then we’ll try to get to the break in top form and then reach the end of December in good shape in the standings. Milan’s season will be decided in January-February: we’ll have to stay close to the Champions League spots and then fight for them from March onwards.
“We weren’t great before, and we’re not bad now. We have to manage things. In football, you have to win games, so we need to do, not talk.”
How have you found Ricci’s performances?
“Samuele is playing in a role that isn’t his typical role. He’s doing well here right now, and I’m happy. In certain situations, he needs to improve his passing speed. I think he’ll get there over the years and be able to play in front of the defense.”
And Fofana?
“Fofana is also growing defensively. I think he has extraordinary potential. He needs to be more demanding himself because, given his physical and technical qualities, he can do much more.”
Is it true that you asked for a small squad?
“I decided the number of players I have available together with the club. Unfortunately, if I had a crystal ball to see that in October there were five players injured after the national team, then the club would have signed more.
“But there are positive things: we’ve seen that Bartesaghi is a player who can have a future at Milan. De Winter is a Milan player, Ricci is a player who can be at Milan. So there are also some positive things.”
Do you agree with Conte when he says that coaches speak, not directors?
“I think there are times when the coach speaks and other times when the directors speak, as has always been the case. But everyone looks after their own interests.”
Do you like the idea of teams having a certain amount of ‘appeals’ they can use for VAR?
“There’s this possibility in Lega Pro. If they’ve introduced VAR, it’s normal to have a wild card to ask for.”
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