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Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media at his usual press conference on the eve of AC Milan’s clash against Fiorentina.
Allegri will be without quite a few key players tomorrow, including Christian Pulisic and Adrien Rabiot, after what was an unfortunate international break for the Rossoneri. It should, by all accounts, result in four changes to the starting XI.
Today’s press conference started at 12 pm local time and Allegri, as transcribed by MilanNews, shared his thoughts on the upcoming game. He also said a few words about the injury situation and how his team can handle the situation.
What has the team been like after this break?
“We had our first training session yesterday, all together, for tomorrow’s match. The lads are doing well; matches after the break are always a bit of an unknown. Starting tomorrow, we will begin a new cycle of five matches. It’s an important month.
“Tomorrow is the first match of this cycle and we need to play with great concentration. Fiorentina have put in excellent performances, regardless of their results. For us, it’s an opportunity to take another small step forward and consolidate our position in the table.”
On injuries and Leao’s key role tomorrow…
“Leao had a good week, he trained on Monday, then he had a full week of intense training. He needed to get back into good shape, I think he’s ready to be one of the protagonists again. But just as we need him, we need everyone; everyone needs to be available to their teammates.
“Rabiot and Pulisic are out. Estupinan won’t be available tomorrow. Nkunku needs to be evaluated, he has this big toe that’s bothering him: if he can put his boot on, he’ll be with us. Saelemaekers is available.
“We have enough players for tomorrow’s match, so there are absolutely no problems in that sense. Injuries are part of the season, you have to be good at understanding the moment. It’s extra motivation.”
Is Rafa a champion?
“He has extraordinary technical qualities, but I think he should also be allowed to play and do what he wants. The important thing is simple: the pitch. A performance must be put in there. Right now, there’s too much talk about him.
“He’s a golden boy and he’s eager to do well, but unfortunately the injury stopped him. He’s finding acceptable form and I think he’ll do very well from here on out. At the end of his career, we’ll see, with time, if Rafa has been a champion.”
What rules can be put in place to prevent injuries during international breaks? It’s a problem…
“I agree. Next year, the two breaks have been combined: the longer break allows a player who gets injured on international duty to have more time to recover. Then you have to be a bit fatalistic… It happens.
“This is the most dangerous period, because injuries usually occur during the November break, when players have played the most games. Statistically, November and March are the most dangerous months.
“Then we’ll have to find solutions; there’s a solution for everything. Football has evolved and become more globalized; we absolutely can’t go back.”
On Fiorentina…
“All matches are difficult to play and win. Fiorentina have excellent quality, with players who can score goals. They are also well-coached and well-organized. They don’t deserve the points they have earned; they deserve more.
“That’s why we’ll have to play a very focused game, as we’ve done in recent matches, improving situations in both phases of the game. Good things have been done, but right now we’re still a long way from May, and we need to take one small step at a time.”
Does coaches need common sense? Pulisic had a sore throat and was sent to play in a friendly… And without him, who takes penalties?
“Definitely not Pulisic because he’s not available. We’ll see in training; we need to improve our penalty percentage: Milan have missed five of their last seven penalties. It’s difficult about breaks… I’m the manager of a club and I think one way, the internationl coach thinks another.
“These things happen, we need to find a good solution. Now they can rest, and we’ll find them fresher in November.”
How can a coach not get angry at Pulisic and Rabiot’s management? How has Santi Gimenez looked?
“I think he’s doing very well. As for the news… When there’s a problem, you have to find a solution, we can’t keep talking about the problem. Otherwise we’ll waste time.”
Pioli said that Milan have suffered more than the numbers suggest…
“We definitely suffered at home against Napoli when we were ten men short. In other games, there have been moments when we have gifted things to the opponents. For example, in Turin, on Kostic’s cross in the 92nd minute, Gabbia did a great job when we risked compromising the match.
“We must continue, knowing that every ball is crucial to achieving our goal. We, Milan, can’t think that a misplaced ball will make us lose a game. One point less in Milan’s season will make us win or lose the Scudetto, or qualify for or drop out of the Champions League.”
Regarding Rabiot, Deschamps said it was just a knock. The club should formally protest this behavior to FIFA…
“So what can I tell you? (laughs). I answered before. We need to be very calm, we can’t go back. Rabiot won’t play tomorrow if we manage him, he has to recover as best he can, he has to take all the time he can because the soleus, like Leao’s, is a bastard muscle: it doesn’t seem to give you signals, then when it does you have to stop again. And the same goes for the other players.”
His opinion on Milan-Como in Australia…
“It’s not official yet, but once it’s official, we won’t be able to do anything else. We’ll need to find the ideal solution to go to Perth for a game that’s worth three important points towards our final objective. We can’t waste our energy on what’s to come; we have a game tomorrow and we’re focusing on that.
“After the Fiorentina game, we’ll see who will be available for Pisa, and after Pisa, we’ll see who will be ready for Bergamo. The games after the break are always like the first league games: you have to approach them carefully and have the right mindset.”
On the changes for tomorrow…
“I can’t make any decisions until tomorrow morning. We have players like Athekame who can play on the right or left, and Pavlovic can be a great left-back. It’s important that the team plays as a team, with humility, unity, and respect for Fiorentina. And then they’ll have a great match.”
What happened in the locker room in Turin?
“Nothing happened, it was something that happens so often. You play a match in Turin and have the chance to take home three points, but after the final whistle you can’t be happy: if you want to raise the bar after those games, you have to be very angry.
“It applies to the whole environment to achieve certain goals. It wasn’t a match where you suffered and you should have been happy, it was a match you could have won and had to win. When games can be won, they must be won. When they can’t be won, they must not be lost.”
Should Leao be encouraged by criticism?
“Leao has good qualities, and in football only one thing matters: the performance on the pitch. He has important qualities, and we all expect a lot from him. He must help the team with his skills. Now that he’s physically fit, I’m very happy to have him available.”
What’s your relationship with Pioli? After Juve-Milan, is this team ready for the Scudetto?
“We’ll see if we’re ready in May. The Scudetto is won by the strongest and most deserving team. All that matters is the pitch. I have a good relationship with Pioli; he was the last coach to win the Scudetto with Milan, and winning is never trivial. I’m sure he’ll do a great job at Fiorentina, too.”
Are we starting again from the reaction against Juventus?
“Rather than starting over, we need to continue what we started in July. The boys are working hard to improve and achieve the goal of getting back into the top four, which isn’t easy.
“After the penalty in Turin, the team played very well because they immediately bounced back from the mistake and handled the unexpected situation well.”
Do Rabiot and Pulisic’s replacements change the way the game is played?
“They change because they have different characteristics. If Rabiot and Pulisic are there, it requires one type of match, if there are others, it requires another type of match. The important thing is that everyone is able to do everything they need to do within their characteristics: tomorrow we have the players to play a good game.”
Where does this confidence you convey to people come from? Have you matured in this sense, instilling calm? Now, with all these absentees, you’ve come to reassure us…
“Maybe because I’m funny… (laughs) The players aren’t there in numbers, but not everyone can play 38 games. Everyone knows they’re important to Milan and everyone has to be available. There are no absentees; there are four players who will be resting for a month tomorrow (smiles).”
Kick-off is scheduled for 20:45 and after the draw last time out, Milan will be keen on bouncing back with a win. They could certainly use two wins from the next two games as the run of games after that is significantly more difficult.
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