On the eve of Milan vs Inter, the derby valid for the 28th round of Serie A Enilive, Massimiliano Allegri spoke to DAZN to preview this major city clash, a match that could carry significant weight in the overall balance of the championship.
Assuming you had already secured qualification for the Champions League, what would you tell your players before a derby while being 10 points behind?
“You cannot make assumptions. You have to look at reality. At this moment we are 10 points behind and we have not yet secured Champions League qualification.”
If your race were only against Inter, and it were a horse race, how would you compare it to this league season?
“If a horse has a ten-length lead with 200 meters left before the finish, it is difficult to catch.”
Do you feel the responsibility to keep the whole Serie A title race open?
“We have to think about ourselves more than about the Serie A title race. We focus on ourselves and on our objective. There are still many points available. As is normal, we must think match after match," said Allegri.
Do you feel that you have recreated a very calm atmosphere at Milanello and that the credit belongs to you?
"It is absolutely not my credit. It belongs to everyone who works at Milanello, people who put love and passion into what they do, and to a group of players who are placed in the right conditions by everyone to express themselves at their best."
Saelemaekers praised you, while Rabiot said you seem calmer than you were in Turin. What do you say about that?
"Well,” he said with a laugh. “Regarding Rabiot, I hope he did not say that because I am getting older. That is possible, fortunately. In any case, I am happy with what they are doing, but we must absolutely not be satisfied with the results we have achieved. They remain, but we have not won anything yet."
In situations like this, two years after the derby that led to the second star, how much do you rely on the desire for revenge?
"We must not look to the past, but to the present and then the future. The derby is a match of its own anyway. Even so, there are only three points at stake, and those are what matter."
Allegri, considering Inter’s lead in the standings, what kind of mistakes must be avoided? What traps are there?
"I can only say that we must do our job. We are the authors of our own destiny against the teams behind us, and Inter are the authors of theirs because they are ahead."
Do you feel that this season you could not have done more than this?
"No, absolutely not. We could have done better in certain situations. But if we have 57 points, those are the ones we deserve. The points total needed to win the title this year is much higher than it was last year."
Do you have anything planned with Cardinale?
"We are very happy that the ownership is present again and that they come to the stadium. But we must focus only on the pitch and on future strategies."
