Massimiliano Allegri has admitted that AC Milan have given up on the Scudetto race, after a damaging defeat at the hands of Napoli.
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Milan headed to the Maradona on Easter Monday hoping to keep pace with Inter after their win against Roma on Saturday night, but instead they fell to a 1-0 defeat in a tight game between two sides who knew they couldn’t afford a misstep.
The only goal of the game came inside the final 15 minutes as Matteo Politano capitalised on being left alone at the far post and having a cross flicked to him by Koni De Winter, with the Italian firing past Mike Maignan at his near post on the volley.
Allegri spoke to DAZN after the full-time whistle to give his thoughts on what was a bitter night for his side and one that probably sees the slim title hopes finally disappear. His words were relayed by MilanNews.
It was a balanced game, decided by one moment…
“It was a game with few chances, and one moment… whoever had taken advantage of it would have won. They did well on that occasion, and we were also playing with a tight defence.
“We had situations where we needed to be quicker to shoot on goal because then the others would arrive and stop you from shooting.”
Why did you choose Fullkrug and Nkunku?
“First of all, they played a good game. Nkunku had two good chances, he worked very well for the team, and he also played a good game technically. In the first half, a player like him has to score, or at least get a shot on goal.
“The second half was the same, but I’d say they were good, as was the whole team. Football is made up of these situations where we made mistakes. It was a stalemated game. In the first half, we conceded a shot from Spinazzola, and then a counter-attack following a turnover in our midfield.
“The second half was the same, with 2-3 counter-attacks… All counter-attacks. We knew they were good at unleashing their speed, and we unleashed them on a few occasions.”
Do you have any regrets about any unsuccessful counters?
“In my opinion, in the first half, we recovered 3-4 balls in the opponent’s half, and we lacked precision and decision-making. Football… If you make the right decisions and are precise in the final 20 metres, it’s easier to score.
“We need to improve and stay calm because we still have a few wins to go to achieve our goal: the Champions League.”
Is 4-3-3 a solution to be used only during a match?
“It’s a solution we’ll be able to see from the start, but it always depends on condition. Pulisic returned on Friday, Leao was out for 12 days, having only had two half-training sessions.
“Starting with the three up front… Maybe I could have decided to break the game open earlier, break it open in the 70th minute, but I preferred to push it a little further like this. However, the wingers need to be in good condition.
“Unfortunately, Rafa started very well this year and then had a series of injuries that dragged him down, and he only had two half-training sessions. It’s important for him to regain his fitness because everyone is needed, we’re in the final part of the season.”
What changes now that you’re third and no longer second?
“I think we’ve already given up on the Scudetto race – Inter have a nine-point lead. Anything can happen in football, but Napoli are ahead. We’re taking it one game at a time, focusing on Udinese. We need to regain our energy.
“Saturday will be a tough match; Udinese are dangerous away. We need to stay calm because we’re currently within our objective. And we know that the Champions League qualification issue won’t be solved on Saturday.
“We need to get a certain number of points. We have a small lead, and we need to try to maintain it by winning games.”