Gattuso: “We had to fight really hard for this win”

By Fred Ilondo -

Genaro Gattuso impact continued as AC Milan beat Roma at the Olympico for the first time since 2011. 

The 2-0 victory keeps Milan’s dream for a top four finish alive, with goals from Patrick Cutrone and Davide Calabria.

However, the Milan legend admitted that his team suffered in the first half and a different approach was the way out of it.

“I like this rapport with the lads. It was a hard-fought game, we suffered a lot in the first half and tried to play different football in the second half, seeking different passing lines.

“I think Roma are a fine team and we had to fight really hard for this.”

The team has been completely transformed under Gattuso and even though the players have not changed since his arrival, the team looks noticeably different.

”It’s true the team could’ve done a lot better this season, including early in my reign, because we dropped points against Benevento.

“I don’t think quality is the difference, because the team has always had that, but it’s the determination and teamwork.”

The Italian also took the occasion to share his tactics, and why the team performed so much better in the second half.

“We played too many balls down predictable lines in the first half and I didn’t like that. I prefer to go down the wings and bring the full-backs into it. Franck Kessie contributed to the goal for Calabria, as he went in there and helped create the space.

“We like to bring men into the box with movements, both on and off the ball. I also want to stop for a moment and praise the defence, because we always move at the right moment and are united. I am very happy about that.”

Milan will have a busy month as they prepare to face off against Lazio, Inter but also Arsenal in the next two weeks. However, Coach Gattuso would like to take it one game at a time and only worry about the next challenge.

“Arsenal lost today, but we are not Manchester City. We’ve got to put our helmets on and go into battle.”

“We have a very important match coming up on Wednesday and a target we really care about, reaching the Coppa Italia Final. After that we can think about Inter, Arsenal, etc.”

 

Tags AC Milan Gennaro Gattuso Italy Milan News Rossoneri Serie A

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