AC Milan faces Cagliari tomorrow in a challenging away Serie A fixture. The Rossoneri fans are looking forward to seeing their team grab an important win. Meanwhile, head coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke with the media in a press conference.
Here's what the ex Juventus boss had to say:
How important is it to start the year well?
“Happy New Year to everyone! Tomorrow is a tough match, like all of them, but tomorrow even more so. It’s the first of the year. In Udine, I said it was a very important game, and tomorrow has the same significance. The standings are starting to take shape, and tomorrow we need to be smart and take another small step forward to stay in the top four. From now until February 15, we have 8 matches, 6 away and only 2 at home. We need everyone, and we need to take small steps to reach the post-Pisa period in the best condition," as relayed via Milan News.
Medical update? Is January a delicate month for the market?
“Not so much for the market, but because we have Cagliari, Genoa, then Fiorentina, then Como, and on Sunday we play at home against Lecce. The important thing is to have everyone available. Tomorrow, Gabbia is recovered, we’ll call it that, and he will be on the bench with the team. Nkunku won’t be available, the ankle problem persists. Leao is fully recovered, but he hasn’t played for a month, so we’ll see how long he can stay on the pitch. Pulisic trained separately until yesterday, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Pavlovic is coming with us but had a fever, so we’ll check on him tomorrow.”
Market and January:
“There’s no point in talking about it… If the people who need to decide to make changes don’t do it, there’s no point in discussing it. Things are done, not said. Fullkrug arrived immediately, and he will be available tomorrow. I’m very happy about his arrival. We need to know that now we have to raise the bar. The further we go, the less time you have to recover.”
On Niclas Fullkrug:
“He will be on the bench, and someone will definitely play. I might break up the game a little; you think one thing and another happens. The important thing is to get everyone back.”
Did you dream about anything last night?
“I struggled to make it to midnight. I fell asleep at 10 and woke up at 11:36. I had to think about the Cagliari match, and hopefully I did it properly. There are no dreams, only goals: you have to stay grounded and balanced. Five teams are fighting for four spots, then behind there are Como, Bologna, Lazio, and Atalanta. Winning is always difficult, it’s always a tough stadium, you have to be alert. Matches are half battles over corners and throw-ins. They play very well, so we have to be smart and mentally prepared, staying in the game for 100 minutes.”
At the end of the year, would you be happy if Milan finishes fourth?
“The important thing is to reach June and give your best. The goal is for Milan to play in the Champions League every year, so to stay in the top four. You need the ambition to give your best and aim for the highest goals; only then can you achieve the most. The league is simple: the winner is the best. If we finish fourth, it will mean we deserved to be fourth. I’m not saying I’d be happy, but it would mean the team brought Milan back to the Champions League. Usually, the winner is always the favorite. Inter, if I’m not wrong, in the last five years has never finished outside first or second. Roma are doing great things with Gasperini. You have to do something exceptional to reach the top four.”
On Strahinja Pavlovic, Allegri said:
“Since he wasn’t here today, I tried both Odogu and Bartesaghi. If Pavlovic is available tomorrow, he will play; if not, someone else will.”
On Cagliari:
“I think last Sunday they played very well. The first half wasn’t pretty to watch, but we weren’t in danger and scored from a set piece. In the second half we improved without conceding. Tomorrow we need another organized performance; they are very fast. We will need to play better than we did against Verona.”
On the market:
“Unfortunately, Gimenez will be out for 3-4 months, and Fullkrug has arrived. If anything happens, the club will stay alert. Having everyone available would be a big advantage. Leao is coming back, Pulisic scored, Fullkrug has different qualities from what we have, Fofana is returning… We haven’t done anything yet, the points we have don’t help us achieve any goal.”
Who is right, Chivu or Conte?
“One says one thing, the other says another. I just say Napoli won the title and Inter came second. So one is the favorite, the other the underdog. It’s not complicated.”
Do you like playing on Fridays?
“Football is wonderful: if you play on Friday and win, it’s nice. If you don’t win, it’s nice to play on Sunday. It’s important not to waste energy thinking about the calendar, and to prepare match by match. We need to get as many points as possible to reach our goal.”
Returning to Cagliari:
“Even though years have passed—almost five years… Then, at the end, he left me a month at home, which I didn’t mind, with the sea in Cagliari (laughs). I’m very attached to the president on an emotional level. I’m very connected to the city; I still have friends. Getting results in Cagliari is always difficult, but I’m always happy to come back.”
What from your first four months at Milan would you not want to see repeated in the coming weeks?
“We got to know each other and started working knowing the season would be very tough. We’ve had games where we started well and then part of the second half went well, and vice versa. We need to find balance. Sunday was the most balanced game we’ve played; we need to find maturity. You can’t leave yourself exposed like we did against Pisa and Parma. The players are growing in this respect. Some have little experience at Milan; the more they play, the more they gain the will to win and the awareness that one ball played at Milan can decide a season, for better or worse. A season, not a single match! We need this awareness, both with and without the ball. We still need to improve and be conscious of this.”
Can Rafael Leao start?
“Leao can start from the first minute, then I’ll see about Pulisic. Fullkrug will definitely be on the bench. I have to be lucky to choose well who to put on first and who after.”
Despite the calendar, you always seem so calm. Is that real or an act? Allegri responded:
“No need to act. Today it’s an advantage to play on the 2nd, because if we had played on the 3rd, some guys could have gone out the night before, which didn’t happen.”
