Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the media at his usual pre-match press conference, admitting that AC Milan will be facing a very tough task against Genoa.
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After six games with just one win, Milan need to win their remaining two to secure Champions League football for next season. Genoa and Cagliari are the opponents, so the odds are in their favour, but the recent run of form certainly suggests nothing is certain.
Speaking to the media this afternoon, as transcribed by MilanNews, Allegri confirmed that Luka Modric will indeed be called up. However, while the veteran has returned earlier than expected, Samuele Ricci suffered a blow in training. He also talked about the alleged row with Ibrahimovic.
Will Modric play tomorrow?
“The good news is that he’s available. He tried the mask today and trained with the team. He will be joining us tomorrow. Ricci sprained his ankle this morning. The others are fine,” he stated.
On the situation…
“It’s normal for everyone to be disappointed, and we’re the ones leading the way. I knew it would be difficult to get to the end and secure a place in the Champions League, but tomorrow we have that chance against a team that’s doing well.
“We need order, patience… Tomorrow evening we’ll see. The team has worked well this week. The boys also rested during the three days of the training camp. Tomorrow we’ll also need a bit of luck.”
Cardinale said that without the Champions League, it is a failure…
“It’s normal that when you’re at Milan, you have to have the ambition to achieve the best possible result. I always say that in a season, the result you get is the one you deserve. Then you can analyse the problems and mistakes made during the year. Right now, we need to be focused on tomorrow’s match.”
Did you have an argument with Ibra?
“I’m used to always having a professional relationship. And I behave professionally with all the managers and the owners. In meetings, and not just this year, there have always been discussions where you have to agree or disagree. But today we must all focus on tomorrow’s match.”
So Ricci is not available?
“Ricci is coming with us, then we’ll see how he is tomorrow morning.”
On Cardinale’s words…
“Cardinale’s words only made me happy. I spoke to him recently and gave him my perspective on the season and Milan’s future, which is what everyone is interested in.”
How can a Milan fan be confident about tomorrow?
“We need to be confident in the professionalism of the lads and everyone who works at Milanello. We might have made mistakes in the last month and a half, but professionalism has never been lacking in every training session and every match. We’ve worked hard to put in a good performance tomorrow and get a good result, but it won’t be easy.”
A week of chaos between the future and a kick-off time decided at the last minute…
“I didn’t have any preferences: when they tell us to play, we play. The week went smoothly, but the important thing is that it goes smoothly tomorrow.”
On the team’s situation…
“I have a very serious, professional, and dedicated group of players. They’re very committed to achieving our goal: they’re also hurting because we’ve thrown away a fair amount of points in the last month and a half. But we shouldn’t dwell on what happened. We should focus on tomorrow.”
But do those who work at Milan really want the best for Milan?
“Milan always comes first. I repeat. The club remains above everything and everyone. We must all work to try to leave something important behind, always in the best interests of the club.”
On conceding too many goals…
“We have conceded too many goals, too easily. We need to play a very compact game; we need to control the game’s progression. We need to do better as a team defensively. Against Atalanta, we conceded three too easily.”
Do you feel that you have always done what was best for Milan?
“Mistakes are one thing; everyone makes them, and I’m the first. The other is the seriousness we bring to the club. Those are two completely different things.”
Do you know Viktor Bezhani?
“No. Also because we have Tare as our sporting director. He did a good job, I immediately got along with him. He’s a serious person and very professionally prepared. All these attacks that are being aimed at him… When it comes to the end of the season, everyone’s responsibility is theirs.”
On the internal disagreements?
“There are discussions within a company, one sees white, one sees black, and one sees red. It’s important that everyone works in the company’s best interests.
“I’ve had discussions much worse than these, but the important thing is that everyone works in the same direction. Tomorrow the lads will certainly put in an excellent performance, as they always have. Let’s hope we get a result too.”
On Nkunku…
“Tomorrow, one between Nkunku and Pulisic will play. Seeing as we will play at 12:00, the temperature will be high, and we’ll need substitutions. Pulisic, Nkunku, Loftus, and Fullkrug are players who can make the difference during the game.”
Is Fullkrug playing tomorrow?
“Fullkrug is fine, as is Gimenez. I’ll have to evaluate tomorrow.”
What is the most important thing you hope to have in the future?
“We need to finish the season and analyse how it went from start to finish. It would have been better if we could have done it a month ago, it would have meant we were already in the Champions League. That wasn’t the case, and we’ll have to wait until May 25th.”