Ahead of tomorrow's fixture against Bologna, AC Milan's head coach Massimiliano Allegri, spoke to the media as usual in a press conference.
Maignan’s renewal has arrived...
“I’m very happy because Milan has secured one of the three best goalkeepers in Europe. He is very happy, he has always said he wanted to stay, and the club did the right job to make sure Mike remained at Milan. Now we think about tomorrow.”
On Jean-Philippe Mateta:
“Mateta, as I have always said, I only talk about players registered with Milan. Out of respect, it’s not right to speak about players from other clubs.”
An injury update?
“Saelemaekers won’t be available; his adductor is still bothering him. In Rome, he made himself available but felt a strain. Pulisic has bursitis that’s causing discomfort. If he feels better today, we’ll take him. Leao, who is managing the adductor-pubic situation, will be available. The others are all fit, so we’ll take them to Bologna.”
Approach to Bologna:
“Everything depends on what happens on the pitch tomorrow. Bologna comes off a good win in the Europa League but has only one victory in their last ten matches. We’ll face a team that wants to beat Milan and prove that these negative results are just a coincidence. It will require a very serious performance.”
How did you convince Maignan? Will you convince Modric too?
“I didn’t convince Maignan at all. The credit, as it should be, goes to the club because they work hard and decide on contracts. After Maignan stayed in the summer, I was confident he could continue at Milan. He’s very sensitive; I knew he wanted to stay. We just had to get past that summer misunderstanding… and then he would start making saves. And he is saving now (smiles). As for Modric, we’ll see, Luka decides. If he wants to continue or not.”
On the market and Bologna:
“Today is the last day of the transfer window. We were lucky to have these two matches, tomorrow and in ten days. We’ll have time to fully recover Pulisic, Leao, Fullkrug; that finger will eventually heal. We’re approaching Gimenez’s return, which will be useful for the end of the season. I’m happy with the players I have at my disposal. So far, we’ve done good things, but they’re not enough for our final goal: Juventus has closed in, Roma is close, Como is close. I think Inter won’t have problems, so there are five teams for three spots. Seasons differ. We mustn’t forget that the work done in recent months shouldn’t be undone quickly. What’s done remains; tomorrow has to be earned. Tomorrow is the penultimate away match of the last period. One final step tomorrow, and then in ten days we recover the players with minor issues.”
Is the schedule the same for everyone? Allegri said:
“No point in complaining. These are the schedules. They tell us to play tomorrow, and we play tomorrow. We knew about the Olympic issue; it’s an opportunity to recover players. Let’s try to see the positive side, not always the negative.”
Now comes the crucial phase of the season…
“I repeat, I and the entire club are disappointed not to participate in the Champions League. We work to play in that competition. To stay at a high level, you must compete at a high level, in the Champions League. Hopefully, in two years, we’ll play the Club World Cup. I read a lot of criticism. It’s not our job to find solutions; there are competent people who must find solutions for the good of football.”
Is this a favorable month for you?
“I spent five years at Juventus. They won five league titles, four Coppa Italia, reached two Champions League finals, and we played the same matches as those who didn’t compete, yet we were at the top. I hope next year I’ll have these ‘problems,’ if you can call them that. With the Champions League, you need a certain type of squad, but that’s another issue.”
Now the level needs to be raised?
“We need to improve in certain moments, as happened in Rome: after 15 seconds there, we nearly conceded. We had difficulties due to Rome’s merits but also our own mistakes. Their strength is pressing us and stealing the ball. We must improve there and in many other areas, without losing sight of the final result, which should lead us to our objective.”
Is the Italian winter market depressing?
“I don’t think this is new. Just look at the revenue of English clubs; in the top 8 of the Champions League, five are English. In the last 15 years, the four semi-finalists have almost always been the top four by revenue, with a few exceptions. In Italy, we shouldn’t always complain. Serie A is a wonderful league; players learn a lot. With our characteristics, we always put on a good show. This is the current state of European football.”
Is Milan inferior to Inter? Chivu says Inter is always under scrutiny…
“I’m not saying Milan is inferior to Inter. To respond to Chivu: they’re at the top and have a chance to win. In recent years, they’ve almost always been in the top two. Chivu is doing an excellent job; he coached two months at Parma with a beautiful survival, and now he’s doing great at Inter.”
Inter kills games against the ‘small’ teams, Milan doesn’t. Why?
“That depends on the players’ characteristics. We have excellent players but with different traits from Inter.”
Does the competitors’ market raise the level of competition?
“At this point of the season, in February, it’s normal for the level of attention to rise. The season is heading toward the finale. Points matter more, goals are visible, and everyone wants to achieve them. Right now, five teams are competing for three spots.”
Allegri, why do you need another striker?
“Luckily, the market ends tonight. The club thinks about the market; so far, Fullkrug has arrived, and I’m very happy. We hope Gimenez will join, and above all, Leao and Pulisic, whom we hope to put on track in the next ten days. We must focus on the players we have; the boys are doing well, and above all, we must continue, which is the hardest part.”
What kind of match will it be against Bologna?
“Tomorrow will be very complicated. Bologna presses, plays proactively. We need to play technically well and not let them exploit their speed, which they are very good at.”
On Christopher Nkunku, Allegri commented:
“I believe he has all the qualities to grow. Some players arrive, integrate, and perform well. Others need more time to adjust. He has already scored goals, and we are happy, but, like everyone, he can always improve.”
Analogy with the last season at Juventus?
“There’s always something to learn from everything. From that situation, when I reached the end, I asked myself some questions. This year we will try to work so that it doesn’t happen again. Why did it happen? It’s not easy. In words, everything seems simple. Then there are different situations, you have to try to understand them and maybe handle them differently.”
Tomorrow, Athekame or Loftus-Cheek? Allegri said:
“One of the two will play in that position. Athekame has grown a lot, he has integrated well. I have full confidence in him if he plays. Otherwise, Loftus will play wide.”
