Mister Massimiliano Allegri was interviewed by DAZN after the derby, which Milan won 1-0. Here is what he said:
The last time Milan won two derbies in a season, you were on the bench. Do you remember how it ended?
"(Laughs) We won the championship, but Inter has a 7-point lead, and that is a lot. They are still the stronger team. Milan did well, the players did very well, though we could have been sharper in the final 30 meters. We reached 60 points, kept Juventus 10 points behind, Como at -9, Roma at -9. It was important to get a result. We worked for six or seven months to arrive in March in the best condition. That is the most important thing because now, in March, the matches that count come, and the season is decided."
Cardinale congratulated you in the locker room:
"Cardinale came into the locker room. I spoke with the team and then left because I had to do interviews. It was great that the whole club, the entire ownership, congratulated the players. But we know that at this moment we have not achieved any objectives. We must work with our feet on the ground. We can be happy about the victory, but above all, we need to understand that it gives us three points, bringing us to 60, with one less win needed to reach our goal."
You guided Estupiñán with movement on the goal:
"Luis Henrique is a good player, but we had prepared that situation. Before the goal, there was a cross from Rabiot, and if Estupiñán had read it a little earlier, he could have intercepted it. Fofana did very well. Fofana made a beautiful assist, and in Cremona, he had made two other important assists where we didn’t score. That shows the team is improving, and above all, it was important to get a result."
In the first half, Milan pressed a lot, Allegri commented:
"We ran a lot in the first half, using a great deal of energy. In the second half, partly because of Inter’s skill and partly because we had spent so much energy, we dropped back a little and allowed a few crosses. But apart from Dimarco’s chance, which was more of a counterattack, we defended in an organized way. We had favorable situations, after the 1-0 in the first half, we almost made it 2-0, and the same in the second half. That said, Inter remains the clear favorite for the championship."
Could you have maintained high intensity for longer? Allegri said:
"We spent a couple of months with 13 or 14 players. When you are in those moments, matches last 95 minutes, and keeping that pace is difficult. There are moments when you follow one strategy and others when you follow another. There were times when I lacked players numerically, and the boys made great efforts. The goal is to maintain this intensity for more minutes; when you have many players available, it is easier. We are physically better now, and this victory gives us morale."
