Cohen: ‘Irritated’ Allegri gave Milan squad a dressing down after Napoli defeat

Massimiliano Allegri was not happy with AC Milan’s defensive efforts against Sassuolo and Napoli, and he let the team know.

Milan started the season with an enviable defensive record and it seemed that the issues of last season were fixed. However, they have now conceded two goals in three consecutive games, most recently in the 2-0 Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Napoli last night.

The main culprits for both goals were Koni De Winter and Mike Maignan, but it must be said that collective defensive lapses have been creeping into the Rossoneri’s performances in recent weeks.

Now, journalist Luca Cohen has written the following: “Yesterday Allegri was very very irritated at the end of the match and made himself heard even in the dressing room. He does not tolerate the drops in attention and desire that were seen with Sassuolo and Napoli.”

Allegri’s words

We got a glimpse of how irritated Allegri was in his post-match interview with SportMediaset, in which – in response to various questions about his team’s performance – he repeatedly pointed to the defensive record.

“We could have performed better on the two goals. It was a well-played match by both teams. They played better defensively and deservedly won. […] I have to analyse the game. We’ve been conceding goals a bit too easily in the last period, and we need to improve.

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“If you make a mistake like with the first goal, we could definitely defend better. When you consistently concede two goals for three games that you could have done better, you have to figure out how to do better.

“Tonight was a game we needed to make tweaks for. But one match shouldn’t overturn what we’ve worked on in three months. We need to analyse things with clarity and composure.

“Only composure can help us achieve our goal of finishing in the top four. We’ve lost two cup games, but we absolutely must get back on track and work on the mistakes we’ve made.”