Massimiliano Allegri, this afternoon, has spoken to the media ahead of AC Milan’s game against Juventus on Sunday.
The game against Juventus this weekend is a heavyweight clash, but it is certainly not a must-win. Instead, both sides hold a big enough gap to fifth place, where they have the luxury of being able to relax a little bit.
Will they sit back, though? Certainly not. Indeed, both want to achieve safety in the Champions League as soon as possible, whilst also fighting for second place and the potential riches of the Supercoppa Italiana. Though it is worth noting that the Rossoneri have the three-point advantage.
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Allegri’s Milan-Juventus press conference
This weekend’s game is the latest instalment of the rivalry between the two sides and it will be a big game for those in and around the Champions League spots. However, Allegri offered a message of calm in his pre-game press conference, as MilanNews relayed on Saturday.
In recent years, Milan-Juventus matches have been very close…
“Football is unpredictable. Maybe a goal comes early and the game kicks off. It’s still Milan-Juventus, one of the most important matches of the championship, at a time when both we and they are fighting for a place in the top four. Spalletti’s arrival has given them something extra, and they’re having an excellent season.”
Is tomorrow’s final game a crucial one? Has Milan played to its full potential?
“It’s not a crucial match; mathematically, we need seven points or less; we’ll see as we go along. It’s a great match, worth winning. But the most important match of this final part of the season was last Sunday’s match in Verona. Regarding Gabbia’s words, Milan must work towards the highest goal, with the utmost ambition. We must work every day to improve; next year we’ll start from a good base. We always have an open dialogue with the club, an exchange of ideas; we have a solid foundation. The squad is made up of excellent players, both technically and morally, and we must build on that.”
Conte says that the second-place finishers are the first losers…
“I’m not going to comment on Antonio’s words; he’s doing a great job again this year. Winning is extraordinary. For a football club in Italy right now, it’s crucial to be in the top four. It’s very important on a technical, sporting, and financial level. Then we’ll see if we’ve finished second, third, fourth at the end of the year… Let’s hope not fifth (laughs). Until the math is done, we have to keep our feet on the ground. There’s Juventus, Sassuolo, which is a historic away game, Atalanta at home, Genoa, and then Cagliari. Points have to be earned on the pitch. Tomorrow is Juve, we have to take one small step at a time.”
What is Milan missing to win the Scudetto next year?
“Talking about the transfer market now is pointless. In these moments, you’re preoccupied with the end of the season and your objectives… Mathematically, we can’t achieve it tomorrow, but once we’ve achieved it, we’ll all be more clear-headed in evaluating things. When you sit down at the table right now to discuss things, you’re a little unsettled, but you see things less clearly because you’re preoccupied with the current moment of the season.”
What kind of Juve do you expect? Are you worried about the strikers not scoring?
“Juventus are doing very well in terms of their play and solidity. I don’t think they’ve conceded a goal in three games. Let’s hope I get one tomorrow. Now we no longer have to think about the attackers, defenders, or midfielders. We just have to think about the final result; nothing else matters.”
Okay, the first four places, but wouldn’t you like to come in second?
“I only know one thing, and we have to stay absolutely focused: we have to get into the top four. Then we’ll do our best to finish second. If we don’t manage that, someone else will have been better. But we can’t focus on the individual event. The important thing is to achieve the result, we have to be focused only on that. Everyone has to think only about that.”
What kind of Milan should we expect tomorrow? Will Milan have great nights against the big teams?
“I think my team has never given up. We played 24 games without losing, then in the second half of the season we lost four, which is what makes you see things differently. But the result is determined by the sum of the points, then if you get them sooner or later it changes how you see things a bit. Milan have 66 points. But then it’s normal that if you lose four out of 14 games you have to think about it. In football there are times when maybe in the first leg of those four games you drew two, now you lose four. Then if you look at the standings, we’re three points ahead of Juventus, but I don’t know what will happen tomorrow night, and three points behind Napoli.”
What do you discuss during these meetings with management? Is there a foundation for the future that’s emerging? Or do you discuss philosophy and other topics?
“It’s normal that when we meet, we talk about the season, the situations that have arisen, and the possibilities for next year. But talking about the transfer market now is disrespectful. I shouldn’t be talking about the transfer market; there’s a club that’s working hard. But we have a squad of extraordinary players who have brought Milan back to a suitable position in the table and who could play in the Champions League next year. Everything you read between now and the end of the year is not true. The club has worked well and the squad is competitive: it’s not me saying that, it’s the results that put Milan in the top four that speak for themselves.”
Does AC Milan need more champions like Rabiot and Modric?
Players aren’t like cars, they come and go. There are highly experienced players who don’t mind wearing the AC Milan shirt. Then there are situations like Jashari: the club made a huge investment in a player of excellent quality. He was injured, returned, and got less playing time… But it’s not that he’s become a bad player. He’s had difficulties, but he has great potential: he’ll be an important player for AC Milan in the future, just as De Winter has grown a lot and Athekame has grown a lot. The club has mixed experienced players with players who need to develop. Then everything can be improved.
About Yldiz…
“He has important qualities. It’s not like I launched him… At that point, Juve worked well from the grassroots to the second team, where they brought valuable players to the first team. It all depends on the work of those below the first team. I think Yldiz can still do much better.”
Are AC Milan’s expectations similar to those at Juventus? Or to those at Inter?
“The expectations of the club, the fans, and ourselves are to be able to win. When you work at a big club with history and victories, your ambition is to aim for victory. If you do that, you get the most out of what you can do. In the end, only one player wins; life is made of cycles. Inter have been working hard for six years and deserve congratulations. Milan won the Scudetto four years ago. But finishing the season in the top four, and right now, there are still points missing.”
How has Pavlovic improved?
“He’s a player who’s improved a lot this year, he’s a player who wants to improve. Right now, he’s one of the very good defenders in Europe.”
Is tomorrow Leao’s last chance?
“Rafa, like everyone else, has always made himself available. Let’s not forget that he had this groin problem in November. He was very good at making himself available. Rafa isn’t judged by this year. There are years where everything goes well or terribly. I always say: a good player remains good, a bad player remains bad. And Rafa is a good player.”
What changed after Verona? Have you clarified your thoughts? How did we move from certain negative scenarios to talking about the future?
“There’s a difficult moment during the season: we went through it with those two defeats, especially the ugly one at home against Udinese where we conceded three goals without even realizing it. But that didn’t mean throwing everything away. That’s why I say we need to have balance: the boys were good, playing in Verona at that time was absolutely not easy.”
How do you explain Pulisic’s bad run?
“As for physical condition, everyone has improved. Gimenez, after six months out, isn’t in optimal condition for match pace. Pulisic has definitely done better in recent games: football is beautiful because with one move or one game, everything can change, for better or worse. We need to put in a great performance against a great team like Juventus.”
How pleased are you with your players’ words? How important is tomorrow’s sold-out San Siro?
“As for the fans, we just have to thank them. They’ve always filled the stadium from the start. If we were to reach the Champions League, it would be thanks to everyone, including them, who have been with us this year. I’m pleased with those words. This team has one quality: they always give their all. What the team has, they will bring to the pitch.”
What is your biggest wish between now and the end of the year?
“That of arriving in the top four (laughs, ed.)”.
AC Milan is a team worthy of the honor roll… The fan feels uneasy, what can you say to them? AC Milan hasn’t won much in recent years. What can you say to the fan who feels deeply uneasy today?
“Fourth place, like third or second, isn’t a place in the honor roll: only those who win go there. I arrived this year, and together with the club we’re doing a good job, we’re in a good phase. Everyone’s ambition is to have a good foundation for next year and have the ambition to fight, as we did this year, to win. Then at the end of the year you have to ask yourself where you went wrong. The mistake you shouldn’t make is to overly negatively analyze the things that have been accomplished, with the risk of throwing away the positive things achieved this year as well. And I repeat: we haven’t achieved our objective, which is important both sportingly and financially to strengthen the team and bring Milan back to playing in a competition where they are at home, and so we still need to get some results.”