Massimiliano Allegri spoke to DAZN after Atalanta-Milan ended 1-1. His statements:
Was this the toughest night of the year?
“It’s a period with a few injuries, but the team is reacting well. In the first half we had to defend because we made too many technical errors when building from the back. We had the chance to play, I don’t know if it was fatigue or the quality of Atalanta, but they also deserved credit. The second half was better, we created chances to score. We made wrong decisions in the last 20 meters, and we must improve there. This team needs more conviction in what it does. In the first half we conceded a goal that could have been avoided, even though we were properly set up. The players should be satisfied with the performance in Bergamo, we extend our positive streak, and now on Sunday we have a strong match against Roma.”
Second half was better:
“Absolutely, we played better. We knew they would struggle in the second half. We need to improve finishing and passing choices in the final 20 meters.”
On Rafael Leao:
“He had a hip issue, he trained… Then at the end of the first half he wasn’t feeling great, so I preferred to take him off because the team needed fresh players. Rafa couldn’t sprint, so I decided to substitute him.”
Will he be ready for Sunday? How is Gimenez? Allegri commented:
“Gimenez has a knock, Leao we’ll see, but it shouldn’t be serious. Against Roma we should also have Estupinan. These ten days require grit, and after the break we’ll have all players available.”
Better with Ruben Loftus-Cheek? How did Santiago Gimenez play?
“Nkunku played very well as a central forward. Atalanta dropped off and we found some good spacing… Loftus in that position breaks lines… He had 20 extraordinary minutes. In those moments, though, we needed to score. There was a situation where Nkunku cut inside but should have opened up, instead he made the opposite move. Then Fofana’s shot, Saelemaekers’ shot blocked by Pavlovic… We had good chances in the second half and conceded only one shot from a sloppy build-up. Gimenez worked hard, he needs to stay calm because goals will come. He is a player who works hard for the team. I’m very pleased and he should continue to work calmly.”
