The Juventus - Milan match ended in a 1-1 draw. Alphadjo Cisse scored a beautiful goal following a cross from Samuel Chukwueze. But, Federico Gatti managed to score the equalizer in the final minutes of the match. Ruben Amorim, the Rossoneri team's head coach, commented on the result in the post-match press conference at the Allianz stadium.
Was there a lack of courage?
“I think we didn’t do well with the ball. And when you don’t have the ball for long periods, it’s harder to keep chasing it for many minutes. Obviously, I think we can do better, but if I remember correctly, in the first half we lost the ball a few times without pressure on us or with plenty of space to play into. When we do that, we lose confidence. And when we lose confidence, we don’t play as well.
“So I think we could have won this game, but Juventus didn’t deserve to lose. We have to do better, but, again, we have only had two months of work behind us. We are changing a lot of things. We have to focus on the next game.”
Had you prepared the match to sit back a little more? Amorim said:
“They pushed us back a little, but the idea was never to wait for the opponent to make a mistake. That will never be our idea. We have to understand that sometimes things aren’t going well during a game, we lose the ball and we have to defend. That’s all.
“Our performance wasn’t good. We gained another point, but we conceded the goal in the final minutes. Sometimes great teams and strong teams don’t have a good day, but they still manage to win. We came close, so let’s think about the next game.”
Why is Pulisic still without any minutes?
“Pulisic has just returned from an injury, so I’m managing him. For now, Alpha is playing in his place.”
Why did you choose Moreira to start?
“Chukwueze came on and provided an assist. Moreira had gone three weeks without playing. Rabiot played 60 minutes today. We are still managing the minutes of some players while trying to win the game. Sometimes it’s not just about the technical and tactical aspects; it’s also about the physical aspect.”
Do you think it would be better for Cisse to stay with the Under-21s rather than immediately join Mancini’s team?
“It depends on the national team coach’s plans. It’s not my decision. I don’t have an opinion on that. What I think when I look at Cisse is that he has a lot of quality, but he needs time. There are certain things Cisse isn’t ready for at certain moments. He is working on that."
Amorim also said:
“Today was really important for him. He is developing very quickly, but let’s not put this pressure on the boy. He needs time to grow and he also needs time to improve many things. People only look at the goals. I look at the many things he needs to improve to become a top player. And to play for your national team, you have to be really strong. So let’s give Cisse time to develop," as relayed via Milannews.it.
