Nothing to be done. The illusion lasted just a week, the time for Milan to celebrate their derby victory and hope after Inter’s draw against Atalanta. But it’s the Rossoneri’s fault that almost everything has (probably permanently) vanished, because Leao and his teammates, due to a display of character and tactical weakness rarely seen this year, allowed themselves to be beaten 1-0 by Lazio at the Olimpico, slipping to eight points behind league leaders Inter with nine draws still to play, as relayed via Milan News.
Allegri cannot be at all satisfied with what was seen on the Olimpico pitch: “We conceded more counterattacks in 45 minutes than in the entire season. We made many technical mistakes near the box. In the second half, they dropped off, but we didn’t score. Change formation? I don’t know about that. Right now, as always, it’s not a matter of formation but of getting back to work on Tuesday to prepare properly for Saturday’s match. A first half that’s not so good doesn’t change the trajectory of a team over a season. The realistic thing we need to understand is that it takes a lot to build up, but very little to destroy: we have to stay focused on Torino.”
Milan's Scudetto dream ends here.
Allegri, however, makes it clear that, in fact, it was never realistically feasible: “The most important thing, even though I understand there’s a lot of bitterness and disappointment, is not to lose sight of reality: Milan is having a good season. It’s disappointing because we could have closed the gap on Inter. But building takes a long time, destroying takes very little. So we have to be careful. We have to accept this defeat with bitterness and disappointment, but starting Tuesday, think about Torino. And for us, Saturday becomes vitally important for the Champions League race.”
