Mr Massimiliano Allegri spoke to DAZN after the heavy 0–3 defeat against Udinese. Here are his statements:
The toughest defeat of Milan’s season. What isn’t working? Is the change of formation a factor?
“The change of formation has absolutely nothing to do with it. It’s a difficult moment for the team. We’ve lost 3 of the last 4 matches. In the second half of the season we’ve failed to score on four occasions. If you’re in the top four, going four matches without scoring isn’t good enough. Today we had good chances to score and didn’t take them. Then we defended in a disorganised way because we were too hasty; even for the second goal we were three against one… We need to return to being organised and clear-headed because we have every chance to get back into the Champions League.”
Are you now at risk? Allegri replied:
“Football is beautiful but also harsh. We mustn’t be overwhelmed by events. We need to restore order in how we manage matches. Defensively we were too eager to win the ball back, and too slow in moving it. When we managed to stretch the play, we created good chances. When we didn’t, we tried to force passes through the middle, lost possession, and they broke on us, because Udinese are a team that can hurt you when you lose the ball in central areas.”
The whistles at San Siro:
“That’s part of football. When you win, you’re praised; when you lose, you’re not. It’s only right that we were booed today. It’s not that the team didn’t try, nothing to criticise in terms of effort from the lads. The only thing to do now is work, prepare properly for the match in Verona with total calm, and above all see this defeat as an opportunity to do better next time. We need to play in line with our identity, with much more organisation, patience, and clarity, things we lacked today. We were too eager to get the result and ended up playing into the opponent’s hands.”
Has the team, after losing the title dream, subconsciously lost the hunger that defined your season?
“You’re absolutely right. When you’re at the top near the end of the season and then lose the title objective, there can be a drop in intensity. I’m sure the players will react, we all will, and this defeat shows us that our Champions League place is at risk.”
Is it the end of Rafael Leão at Milan?
“In the first half he had two important chances playing as a centre-forward. Then, when space is tight, it’s difficult to beat your man because he gets double-marked. It’s not about Rafa or anyone else, it’s about delivering different performances, with more patience in the defensive phase.”
