Allegri explains decision to bench Bartesaghi and Modric against Napoli: “Renewed energy”

Massimiliano Allegri spoke to Mediaset ahead of the clash between AC Milan and Napoli, explaining the decision to bench the in-form Davide Bartesaghi, among other things. 

Milan need to beat Napoli in tonight’s game to secure their spot in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana. It won’t be easy, but with the support of the fans in Saudi Arabia, the Rossoneri will surely feel a bit confident.

That said, there are some big absences for Milan, with Matteo Gabbia and Rafael Leao out injured. As explained by Allegri in his interview with Mediaset a few minutes ago (via MilanNews), Bartesaghi is also struggling with a minor issue, hence why he isn’t starting.

Modric isn’t starting and Bartesaghi is on the bench…

“Jashari is playing, having done very well in Coppa Italia. Bartesaghi has a flexor muscle which wasn’t feeling great the other day, and Estupinan has done well. We needed some renewed physical and mental energy.”

The mercato…

“Milan’s mercato is focused on fully recovering all available players. Gimenez underwent this minor operation; we haven’t yet been given his recovery time. We hope to reach the final tonight. That would be great, otherwise we’ll focus on the league.

Photo by AC Milan

On Nkunku…

“He has extraordinary technique, he works for the team, he’s fitting in. I have full faith in him, as we all do.”

Simonelli just said that Milan-Como will be played in Perth…

“I don’t know anything yet. I hope it’s a precedent for the future of Italian football, and I hope it’s not just an isolated case. Otherwise, it would be a problem.”

It will definitely be interesting to see how Ardon Jashari will handle Luka Modric’s role in such a big game, having played in that role against Lazio most recently. We saw some good moments in that game and hopefully, he can build on that tonight.