Grosso admits Milan 'did well' despite defeat: "We managed the game well"

In yesterday’s game against Sassuolo, AC Milan were far from looking the better side. Instead, they had moments of quality, you wouldn’t think they were chasing the Champions League.

At this point in the season, performances need to have assurances and Milan did not give any. Against the Neroverdi, they looked poor defensively, poor in midfield and dreadful in attack. Whilst the game was out of their reach early on, they did not look to get back into it.

It is another fixture to add to the growing catalogue of bad results and performances from the Rossoneri. Something which is only draining confidence ahead of the summer, let alone next season. A difficult spot, certainly.

Grosso compliments Milan

Despite clearly being the better side, Fabio Grosso was very humble when speaking about his team’s performance. In fact, he praised the Diavolo, which they almost definitely did not deserve for the result, nor the manner in which they played.

After the game, he spoke to the media via MilanNews.

Fabio Grosso, the revelation of the championship, as Allegri says…

“I respect Allegri, I know him. I respect the coach and the person, because he is a truly outstanding person. I thank him for the kind compliments. We played a good game, we approached it well. We were often criticized for this, but we started strong.

“The game went the right way, with the sending off, but towards the end of the first half we paid the price, we didn’t recognize certain situations and we put ourselves in trouble. In the second half we came back well and managed the game well. Huge credit to the lads.”

What did he tell his players?

“I said that under pressure, opponents become better than us, because we allow mistakes that these types of opponents can exploit and punish you. We did well, also in creating the conditions to suffer appropriately and create opportunities to score again.”

On Idzes’ condition…

“He fell during a jump and had pain in his heel. He tried to grit his teeth but asked to leave the pitch.”

Can we say that Milan faced a Sassuolo with more desire? Is that surprising?

“We brought us before, during, and even after the match against this great team. I give credit to my players because we’re making the most of the work we’ve done. We’re mathematically safe with five games to go, and so I’m very happy.

“To do what we’re doing, it’s down to all our players, because we were able to raise the bar and put in a performance like today.”

What’s Sassuolo’s goal now?

“We reached it a while ago and have been moving it forward day by day. We have a very difficult match ahead of us, because you arrive with the hangover of a great performance and the opponent is waiting for you.

“We have to be good at waiting but start again on Tuesday, because in this league, if you don’t show up well, you pay the price. We’ve done well to make the most of a beautiful and very tough journey. We’ll wait and see, but for now the goal is to go to Turin and put in a great performance.”

On Berardi’s substitution and the icing on the cake with the win against Milan…

“I’m holding on to the others, too, but beating teams of this calibre means you’ve played a great game. They did well to get back into it when it was slipping away from us. We’re really happy with this game. Berardi said he felt a little discomfort.”

On Nzola’s performance…

“His adaptation process in the locker room was important. He’s a guy with a big heart, who put a lot of dedication into it. He still lacks consistency, but these small shortcomings, along with these characteristics, have prevented him from having a career that lives up to his potential.

“He played a good match, but we mustn’t forget all the key players on this team. As I said in the pre-match press conference: naming names is reductive, whether they’re key players or not.”