Allegri on ‘extraordinary’ Modric, Gimenez’s chances and his red card: “My jacket saved me”

After the important win against Bologna, AC Milan’s head coach Max Allegri spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the performance. 

Just like against Lecce, the Rossoneri struggled to create chances in the first half and there was a lot of frustration in the stands. Thankfully, they turned it around in the second half thanks to the veteran Luka Modric, who was named the MOTM for the game.

Although it ended up being an odd-goal win, Milan definitely could have scored more. In his post-match interview with DAZN, as transcribed by MilanNews, Allegri discussed the performance as well as his red card, which came late on.

It’s such a pleasure to watch Modric…

“Luka is an extraordinary player. It’s a pleasure to watch him play and he’s a truly humble guy. He’s wonderful. All the guys played a great game, it was important to win at home without conceding a goal. In difficult moments, the team remained united: in those moments, it’s important not to disintegrate and let the opponents through.”

On Gimenez…

“He ran a lot, he pressed. He had two or three big chances, it’s true, but he didn’t quite get there after all the work he’s done for the team. He’s a good guy and he was also very good technically, so I’m pleased.”

The importance of not conceding a goal…

“It’s an extraordinary group of guys, they work hard, and I’m certainly not complaining. Our goal, together with the club, is to get back to playing in the Champions League. We have to improve, we shouldn’t get too excited, but it must be said that the guys are doing very well.”

You took off your jacket… What happened?

“Nothing special. There was the penalty incident, I had a disagreement with the fourth official, and luckily my jacket saved me.”

How is Maignan?

“I definitely don’t think he’ll be there in Udine; his calf is a difficult one. Terracciano had a good debut at San Siro, I’m very happy, and we also have Torriani, who is very good. The important thing is to work as a team like we did tonight, and even in difficult situations, it’s important to have the right spirit, one small step at a time.”

The midfielders rotated a lot…

“They are players who have these types of characteristics, they move when they are man-marked.”

Allegri won’t be on the sidelines for the next game against Udinese and it remains to be seen how long his ban will be. One can understand his reaction to the penalty call, though, as there was contact between the Bologna player and Christopher Nkunku.