AC Milan's head coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media in a press conference ahead of tomorrow's Serie A match against Pisa.
We return to the pitch after almost 10 days. What challenges does this match bring?
"Let’s say that Pisa are currently fighting to avoid relegation. They’re a physical team that creates a lot at home. They’ve lost matches while keeping them alive until the end, so we’ll need to be very focused and ready right away. Winning isn’t easy, especially in the second half of the season when every point matters a lot. Friday is one of the four games that will lead us to the derby: against Pisa, Cremonese and Parma in the first half of the season we only picked up two points."
A potentially favorable matchday? Allegri commented:
“It’s a very important round. When the other teams are facing each other, winning would be crucial. It won’t be easy; we’ll have to take another small step forward to get closer to the points total that will allow us to qualify for the Champions League. Injuries? Pulisic trained with the group for the first time yesterday. He’s available but only has about fifteen minutes in his legs. Leão is much better. Giménez is doing even better; in about a month he could be available. Saelemaekers will still be out, but he’s much improved, we’ll see if he’ll be available for Como," as relayed via those at Milan News.
What is it like to return to Pisa?
“We’re talking about 1989-90, it was the first year in Serie A. I made my debut against Milan. It was a wonderful experience with a fantastic president. I have friends from Pisa and from Livorno. I’m happy to go back. It’s important to go there happy and come back even happier.”
How much of Nkunku’s resurgence is down to Allegri?
“It’s a matter of settling in; he’s a sensitive guy. I joked with him: if you smile more, things go better. Fortunately, things are going well, but he has extraordinary technique. Getting everyone back is crucial for the end of the season. I was very happy about Loftus’s goal, and Fofana returned with a strong performance. Right now, the reliability of all the players is important, both those who start and those who come on.”
Can Rafael Leao start from the beginning?
“I need to see today’s final training session and then decide on the lineup. We have three matches, Friday, Wednesday, and Sunday. I have to get it right with who plays tomorrow, Wednesday, and Sunday. The most important match is tomorrow’s. Games now last around 100 minutes, and in the last half hour the substitutions become decisive. So far, the changes have helped us a lot: matches are often decided by the players who come on from the 60th minute onward.”
The players say they believe in winning the title. How do you see that?
“I see it positively. We all have to have the ambition to aim for the maximum. If other teams end up finishing ahead of us, it means they’ll have deserved it. Fifty points aren’t even enough to get into the Conference League; the sooner we get closer to the Champions League points target, the better position we’ll be in in the standings.”
Massimiliano Allegri’s thoughts on referees:
“Fifty years ago, there were discussions about referees. Now we have VAR, which helps a lot. They are working on it, trying to improve situations and decisions. I always say that VAR and the most important thing is objectivity: that’s where we can improve. Everything else is subjective. If a decision goes in your favor, you stay quiet; if it goes against you, you get upset. Since it’s subjective, one person can decide one thing and another person something else. There will always be controversy. They are improving, but improvement comes in objectivity, not subjectivity. I started smiling because we managed to comment in Italy on an incident that happened in England, we’re amazing. We went to comment on the Liverpool-City incident… It would be nice to talk about technique and many other things that need improving.”
Milan’s season:
"Milan is having a good season at the moment. Winning is not normal; it’s difficult. In the end, only one team wins. We started the season trying to get back into the Champions League, and at the moment we are in the top four. We could have done better in the Coppa Italia; that’s the only regret we have. But we need to focus on our goal: Inter and Napoli are very strong teams, and to reach the top four you have to have an excellent season. No wasting energy, we must focus only on performing."
The importance of players’ mental state:
“There are moments when, even to give motivation, there is a lot of competition and it’s important. If a player doesn’t play, he should be angry at the coach who doesn’t play him, not at his teammates. The important thing is that when they go onto the field, they must help their teammates and understand that they can bring Milan back to its natural habitat: the Champions League.”
How is the team? We heard about the dinner yesterday…
“The dinner was because some players had to pay fines. Tomorrow we play after 10 days. The positive side is that we have almost fully recovered. Tomorrow is the sixth away game in the last nine. A result tomorrow would give us a good boost.”
Can the forced rest for some players be useful now?
“It’s not bad luck; injuries happen over the course of a season. The positive side is that Pulisic and Leao have played less so far and will be important for the end of the season. You have to be smart and lucky in making choices. The important thing now is to know that details make the difference: we don’t have time to recover anymore, we are no longer in the first half of the season.”
What are the qualities of this group?
“A group with a desire for revenge, a group with strong moral values, who come to the training ground every day to improve and with a clear goal of getting results on Sundays.”
What needs to happen to be satisfied tomorrow?
“To go home satisfied, we need to get a result, and to get a result we need to perform well technically and tactically. Against Inter in Milan, after 20 minutes it was 2-0. In the first leg, we were the ones who dropped out of the game and they scored two goals; that must not happen.”
Do you prepare matches based on the opponent or want a clear identity?
“We always try to have a good approach, then there’s the opponent. In Como we made a lot of mistakes at the start, as happened in Rome. In Bologna, that didn’t happen; the boys were much smarter.”
