Head coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media in a press conference ahead of tomorrow's Serie A fixture against Torino.
Question: Did Luka Modrić bring his 2018 Ballon d’Or to AC Milan’s headquarters? Is it a symbol of his already strong connection with Milan?
“Luka has arrived and brought quality on a technical level, but above all on a human and professional level, especially for the younger players. Seeing a player, a man, Luka is 40 years old, with such passion and love for what he does is incredible. This creates enthusiasm and brings positivity within the environment.”
How is Santiago Giménez? How is Rafael Leao after the incident in Rome? What’s the mood like?
“These are things that happen during a season where points matter a lot. The only thing to do is stay calm; tomorrow we have an important match before the break. It’s difficult because Torino FC have been getting good results since Roberto D'Aversa arrived. Let’s forget what happened, we need to stay focused on tomorrow. Giménez is doing well; he will be called up tomorrow.”
Is the title race over?
“It’s normal that the defeat against SS Lazio... Football is wonderful for this reason, everyone thought Inter Milan had dropped two points, and instead... They have their destiny in their own hands for the title; we have ours for the Champions League. We need to focus game by game. Then when mathematics says that Inter have won the title and Milan are in the Champions League, only then will we no longer be able to win the title and no longer be able to miss out on the Champions League.”
The Rafael Leao–Christian Pulisic partnership:
“As for the Leao–Pulisic pairing, they’ve had a season affected by injuries: one missed pre-season, the other had a good pre-season but was out for two months. Now it’s important to do well in the final two months. Pulisic is doing well, physically he put in a good performance in Rome. He’s lacking precision in his finishing, but he’ll get it back. Rafa has 9 goals; there are still matches left and he can reach double digits. But now we have everyone available, if you want to play, you need to wake up. Everyone.”
On the future of Luka Modrić, Allegri commented:
“The club will speak with him. It depends on him. He has a World Cup to play… For now, let’s let him play, let’s let him enjoy himself," as relayed via Milan News.
“The standings? You have to look ahead, but also behind. Football is wonderful for this reason, balance is fundamental. Until you reach your objective, you must stay focused on it. We need to get points tomorrow to take a small step forward. Against Lazio we could have been more precise and we paid a high price for it. Tomorrow we must play an organized match, without overdoing it, with the goal of taking home the three points.”
Missed passes from Christian Pulisic to Rafael Leao. What’s missing to improve their understanding?
“The one who has the ball has to see who is unmarked (laughs). He didn’t pass that ball because he didn’t see him. But it’s happened other times too. The difference in football is made by the decision in the final pass. I told Leao: ‘He didn’t see you, otherwise he would have passed it.’ It wasn’t that complicated (laughs).”
How did you manage to reach 60 points despite attacking difficulties?
“Because the team worked as a team. We had injury problems in the attacking department, but we’re not thinking about the past. I reviewed the match against Lazio, there were technical mistakes in the final 30 meters. We conceded a goal we could have avoided, but it happens. Tomorrow we have a difficult match; we need all the players who are fit. We hope to recover Ruben Loftus-Cheek, also Matteo Gabbia, and Giménez will improve his condition. Individual objectives must be put at the service of the group, otherwise after 8 months we’ll end up fighting just to secure a place in the Champions League.”
Was the team under too much pressure in Rome? Are you worried about a psychological backlash?
“There mustn’t be a backlash, also because we made some mistakes that we need to try to avoid, and we need to be more precise in front of goal. We also had favorable situations, but we conceded 2–3 chances in the same way. We’ve worked on it, tomorrow we hope to deliver a better defensive performance. In the first half we conceded 9 counterattacks, the highest number this year. But the Lazio match is a consequence of the Cremona match, which had already been a fragmented game. The derby is different, you have a different level of focus. We need to return calmly to being organized, which is our strength.”
Stick with Leão and Pulisic, or give a chance to Füllkrug, who is the only traditional striker?
“There are solutions after matches when needed. So far Gimenez wasn’t available and he lacks match fitness; during the break we’ll see whether to organize something for him. If with 20 minutes to go you need someone with those characteristics, you only have one. So either you use him from the start or at the end. Everyone is doing well, we need everyone. From now until the end, having 5 attackers available is very important.”
On Leao:
“He can comfortably play as a center-forward, just look at the movements he made on Sunday, against Inter and Cremona with those runs in behind. When he moves wide he feels slightly more at ease, but when he drifts out wide, if he doesn’t receive the ball he tends to drift out of the game a bit…”
Allegri, they want to shut down Open VAR...
“I don’t know, they will decide. The less is done, the better. I believe there is the referee, and they are good too. Let them referee. In all situations, balance must prevail. The line between VAR intervention and the referee is thin, and it can shift the balance. When they find the right understanding between them, the referee will also be more relaxed. But the referees are good; in recent matches they’ve been doing better. Guida refereed well, he let play flow, he didn’t call soft fouls, and that’s right, football is a physical game. There are many young referees, they need experience. Older referees have more experience and control of the situation.”
Are you talking with Tare about the future? How important is it to continue with this working group?
“With Tare we see each other every day, we have lunch together at Milanello, we stay together in training camp, we talk about the team’s dynamics and where we can make changes. Furlani came to visit us after the derby and we had lunch together. When we talk about the future, and we haven’t yet, we’ll do it all together.”
On the halftime video from the Champions League final between Real and Dortmund: Ancelotti trusted his veterans. In Milan’s context, to aim for the very top, does the team need players with that kind of charisma?
“That was a Real side where Modrić and Kroos have since retired. The only one left is Carvajal. We shouldn’t think about what existed 10 years ago. Now it’s a completely different generation. In Italy especially, we don’t have the financial strength to compete with other European clubs. Just look at revenues. In the end, the teams that reach the semifinals are the strongest financially. When your margin for error is smaller, you have to be good and lucky in building the squad. If you generate 1 billion, you can spend more money even if you make a €200 million mistake. Milan as a club is working to be competitive and sustainable. Now the club is a business: that’s why both the sporting and commercial sides are important. It has to be a pipeline from the first team to the youth level — that’s how you build a solid foundation the club can rely on, otherwise you jump from one thing to another. If you don’t create these foundations, you’re always adrift.”
