Reports are claiming that the AC Milan squad and coaching staff will go into ‘ritiro’ either on Wednesday or Thursday.
Sunday’s defeat to Atalanta has further complicated the quest for a top four spot, and Milan now need to win their two remaining games to guarantee a return to the Champions League. Given they have won twice in their last eight, it is far easier said than done.
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Amid all of the external noise surrounding the team including fan protests and talk of changes in the management – something Sergio Conceicao confirmed impacts players – the decision has been made to protect them.
Milan head for a retreat
The ‘ritiro’ in Italy is essentially a training retreat, where the players are in theory able to focus purely on their work on the field rather than listening to any of the outside noise. It often involves staying at the training ground for multiple nights, too.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, the last official ritiro was in May 2019, when Gennaro Gattuso locked the team away at Milanello. Seven years later, Milan will do the same, and it is noteworthy because the club are historically accustomed to this type of measure.
The paper and MilanNews confirm the lockdown will begin on Wednesday and continue until the weekend. It is a mutually agreed upon decision between the coach and management.
Igli Tare, in his sombre post-match interview following the loss to Atalanta, had mentioned the possibility. This was then supported by Allegri a few minutes later in a press conference.
The coach had explained that he wanted to wait for the date and time of the Genoa match to be officially confirmed (it has since been set for Sunday at 12:30 CEST) in case it was a Monday evening fixture, but Wednesday seemed the most suitable solution regardless.
The schedule for this start of the week includes a day off on Monday, while today the meeting at Milanello is scheduled for 13:00 (lunch optional), then 14:30 in the changing room and 15:30 on the pitch for the first training session.
