AC Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has admitted that the unbeaten run ending at the hands of Parma ‘hurts’, also sending his thoughts to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
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Gabbia was expected to start the game against Parma this evening, but the defender pulled up during the warm-ups complaining of muscle discomfort. He was not risked, and therefore Koni De Winter took his place in the centre of the defence.
Unfortunately, the Italian had to watch from the sidelines as Milan suffered a defeat that probably ends their title hopes. The winning goal was a controversial one, as Troilo’s header was given following a VAR review.
A chance to move 11 points clear of fifth place was squandered too, so it wasn’t a positive evening. Gabbia spoke to Sky after the full-time whistle to give his thoughts after a frustrating game at San Siro, with MilanNews relaying what he had to say.
Do you need to cheer up after a game like that?
“The evening didn’t start well and ended with a defeat, which is the thing that hurts the most. I, like the whole team, want to send Ruben a big good luck because he’s essential to us and he’s a golden boy. We’re really sorry, we send him a huge hug and we look forward to seeing him soon.”
There was some controversy about Parma’s goal, what do you think?
“We’re disappointed with the match, with the defeat. We need to have the clarity to not let these situations affect us. The referees are on the pitch to do their best, they have to make decisions, and situations aren’t always easy.
“We can’t waste energy on these things: we need to focus on doing the best we can based on the things the staff tells us. There’s no point in creating controversy now.”
Is there a common thread in these poor performances against the lower-ranking teams?
“It’s hard to say. There have been performances against less prestigious teams, like Cagliari or Verona, where we managed to play some great games. It’s a shame that this evening we weren’t able to score and take home the three points.”
Have you given up on first place?
“As we always say, we have to think about ourselves and have the clarity to improve and do better every day. At the end of the year, we’ll take stock of what we and the other teams have accomplished.”