In a press conference today, Alberto Gilardino, former AC Milan striker who is now the coach of Genoa, has spoken to the media prior to tomorrow's game between his side and Stefano Pioli's. Here are his words:
"Retegui missing the match due to injury? Retegui still has pain in his knee, but we'll wait 24 hours to see if there is a possibility of recovery without risking him further. Everyone wants to see him on the field, but we need to be clear-headed in our evaluations."
On full-back Stefano Sabelli and forward Caleb Ekuban:
"They trained, they are back in the group, so they will be part of the match, to be evaluated whether from the start or during the match."
Gilardino also said:
"I believe that we need to limit the percentage of errors we make as much as possible. We are facing a strong team, both in the starting lineup and in the substitutes, because they are players with important characteristics, speed, technical quality, and physical presence. What Pioli has been able to build in recent years is something extraordinary in terms of the identity he has been able to give to this team. We need to approach the match with great courage. I have asked the players to approach it with great participation and great courage, both for those who start from the beginning and for those who come on as substitutes."
A strategy to stop Milan? Gilardino said:
"They have great qualities, especially in finding space, they have a lot of verticality. They are also very good with the ball at their feet and at alternating the positions of the full-backs inside the field or outside in width. They are very good on the left side with Theo and Leao, and they are also very good on the right side with Calabria, Florenzi, Pulisic, or Chukwueze. Up front, they have players who know how to find the penalty area like Giroud and Okafor, and they have players with pace in midfield like Musah, Reijnders, and Pobega. They alternate well the characteristics that coach Pioli wants to put on the field and in his ideal game. We need to be compact, as we have shown in the home matches against the big teams, we need to have great team cohesion between the departments. That will make the difference."
On Junior Messias, who is on loan at Genoa from AC Milan, Gilardino said:
"He can start from the beginning. With a five-man defense, he can play the role of wingback or second striker. He is a versatile player with great quality, a little unique in his kind. Like Gudmundsson. He gives us options."
