Massimiliano Allegri gave credit for AC Milan’s win over Cremonese entirely to Davide Bartesaghi for his awareness right at the end.
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Milan left it late against Cremonese in the Sunday lunchtime kick-off at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, but they managed to emerge with three points right at the death, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Strahinja Pavlovic and Rafael Leao.
The opener over 89 minutes to come, and it was just after Bartesaghi had pulled up with an injury, and he was replaced by Pervis Estupinan. The Ecuadorian passed to Luka Modric who crossed for Koni De Winter’s flick and Pavlovic’s finish, so it was a case of coming off at the right time.
Allegri spoke to DAZN after the final whistle to give his thoughts on what was a difficult three points in the end, but a win that Milan desperately needed after recent bad results. MilanNews relayed his words.
How hard did you have to work to unlock that game?
“Cremonese is a tough team to play against. In the first half, they played at a very high tempo, and we struggled with ball possession. We took a risk on a shot and missed a lot of chances. Estupinan came on and did a great job, which shows they’re an extraordinary team.
“The players who came on today did well, as they often do. It was important to win today to erase the defeat against Parma, get three important points on the board, get closer to our goal, and prepare well for the derby.”
Are you thinking about using a front three from the start, or only during the game?
“Right now, it’s a one-off solution because, when the tempo is high, it’s normal for the wingers to have to work hard, too, and so we lose a bit of focus. At that point in the game, we needed attacking players.
“We brought on Fullkrug and put Pulisic on the right, and despite having a big chance, he played well. He’s regaining his fitness, as is Rafa, as are everyone else. We’ll see as we go along; we can also play with a three-man attack and a double midfielder. Let’s see. At this point in the season, I’m not so interested in formations and playing systems.
“We have too big a target to achieve, with the teams below continuing to score points… Como, Napoli won yesterday, Atalanta, Roma, and Juventus are still up for grabs… We need to take one small step at a time, knowing that the road is still very long.”
How are your team going into the derby? You previously said the game still has a long way to go even in the 85th minute, and it proved to be the caase today…
“It’s still very long, it seems short when you’re there because you get a bit breathless. But you have to be very clear-headed to create chances to score. They did very well on the corner kick, Estupinan played a beautiful ball to Modric, just right for him to score first time.
“That makes the difference. They also did well on the counter-attack to close it out. We now have a week to go and play this wonderful match, and then we’ll continue with the league.”
Is the Derby the last chance to win the Scudetto? Or is it too late now? How’s Bartesaghi doing?
“Bartesaghi was extraordinary, let’s just say he came off at the right time. Estupinan came on and created the scoring opportunity. The credit for this victory goes entirely to him. As for the derby, it’s a wonderful match, and in those games, anything can happen.”
Is there still a Scudetto chance?
“Chance… I think Inter have won 22 games, lost 4 and drawn 1… Let’s hope the numbers are against them on Sunday (laughs).”