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00:01Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome along to the pre-match press conference on the eve of Cremonese. Milan will start with
00:08Milan TV. Thanks, Nicola. Good afternoon, coach. Tomorrow is the 1st of March, and that's a month you've frequently referred
00:15to over the course of your press conferences when we've been chatting. Ever since you met up on the 7th
00:21of July, you've been saying, we need to go into March in a certain league position.
00:26You're up against Cremonese on the 1st of March, and how would you describe Milan going into March? We've made
00:35it to March, and we've made it in pretty good shape. Of course, we could have done a little bit
00:41better, and now the league season will be decided, because in the last three months, two and a half months,
00:49between March and the 25th of May, the Scudetto will be decided,
00:55the Champions League places, the whole Serie A league table. And so, it's all downhill from tomorrow.
01:04Sky, coach, this is the first slightly different week, in our mind, because we weren't used to commenting on a
01:14Milan defeat since August.
01:16Has it been different for you, in terms of the way you've spoken to the team, trying to get them
01:19to move on from that, and maybe the mood is a little bit down, because the Scudetto dream has slipped
01:26from your grass slightly.
01:29There's been a lot of rumours about referees, and I don't know whether you saw yesterday a similar conversation to
01:36the block by Lautaro Valenti.
01:39After six months where we hadn't lost, we were all a little bit caught off guard by that defeat.
01:46And on Tuesday, we were all a little bit stunned by it, but then on Wednesday, we had an excellent
01:50training session, and you need to turn the page,
01:55because sooner or later, we're going to slip up.
01:58We hope not, but unfortunately, it has come to pass, and now we need to get back on our feet
02:04and start running again.
02:05Tomorrow, we have a difficult match, because thus far, Cremonesi have had a good league season.
02:14They are a team with ability.
02:16They've got some excellent ability when it comes to trying to stay in the division.
02:21In the last three matches, Milan have never scored away at Cremonesi.
02:25We've had two goalless draws and a 1-0 defeat.
02:30I think our last win in Cremona came in 1993, in 1993-94 season.
02:39Before that, Fabio Capello's unbeaten side actually drew 1-1, so it's an important game tomorrow,
02:45and it's significant for us to return to winning ways, so we need to produce a good performance.
02:49As for the latest from the treatment table, Matteo Gabbia is still out.
02:54He still has a bit of swelling, and we hope that he's able to manage that,
03:01and he can be back as soon as possible.
03:05They've put Ruben Loftus-Cheek's teeth all back in, and as for Santi Jimenez,
03:11the good news is that Santi Jimenez has finished all of his preliminary rehab.
03:18He's in good shape, and from the next week onwards, he might start to train with the squad.
03:26So that's a very good sign, and that's a really good player to recover.
03:31Hi, Max.
03:32Hi, Max.
03:37Ten points is a big gap, but there are still some matches to be played,
03:41so nothing is definitive.
03:44The only thing that's certain in life is death.
03:47But do you have a few regrets, or do you believe that this team has given and is giving what
03:55it should have given,
03:56and therefore it has achieved what it should have achieved?
04:00It's hard to say.
04:01What I can certainly say is that the team comes to Milanello day in, day out to try and improve
04:07and to try and get the utmost in terms of results, and then there are the opposition.
04:16Inter are achieving excellent things.
04:19I think they've won 21 matches, drawn one, and lost four of their 26 games so far.
04:27We've got 54 points.
04:28We could have got a few more, we could have got a few less than that.
04:32I don't know, but the points that we've got are those ones that we deserved.
04:36At this moment in time, we mustn't look ahead to the 25th of May.
04:40We've now got to march with our target, and we need to take things one game at a time
04:44and try and get as many points as possible.
04:46And then come the 25th of May, we'll see where we are.
04:50Rocky, Rai.
04:51Rai.
04:52Rai.
04:52Rai.
04:55Rai.
04:55Rai.
04:57Rai.
04:59Make sure you've got all of your TV sets turned on tonight.
05:03Rai.
05:03San Remo, I'm talking about the San Remo Music Festival.
05:06No, all jokes aside, from now onwards, is the target to try and get Rafa Liao and Pulisic
05:14back together and playing well, dovetailing to a good effect.
05:17More than that, understanding, at this moment in time, the four strikers are all fit.
05:24And tomorrow, I don't know who to pick up front.
05:28Above all, it will be a game, just like all of the other matches, whereby we'll need the
05:35players on the bench for the last 30 minutes.
05:38So they're a lot better physically.
05:41Pulisic has come on leaps and bounds mentally and physically.
05:43He'll certainly get back on the score sheet.
05:45The same goes for Rafa Liao and Niklas Fulkrug and Nkunku.
05:49The most important thing is that they're all fit.
05:52Hi, Max.
05:53Two very quick questions.
05:55First, a number of players are booking away from suspension.
06:01Are you bothered about that?
06:03Will you play with Salamakis and Rabia, who are booking away from suspension at Akam and
06:09Fofan are in the same boat?
06:10Are you also in favor of a challenge system for VAR?
06:15As for a challenge system in VAR, I think at this moment in time, new laws have just been
06:22published today.
06:24And that's a good sign.
06:25And it shows that they are trying to improve the situation.
06:31And they're trying to maximize VAR.
06:38And as to whether I'm in favor of a challenge system, there are pros and cons to everything.
06:44You need to try and study it.
06:46You can't just implement it.
06:47You need to do things as and when you've experimented with them.
06:51You've tried them out.
06:52Because once you've implemented them, you can't then take a step back and undo things.
06:57What was the other question?
06:59Ah, the players are booking away from suspension.
07:02No, the most important game is tomorrow.
07:04Tomorrow, once the game is over, those that are still standing will be ready for the derby.
07:11Those that will be suspended will sit in the stands.
07:23I know that you rate Fabio Capello very highly, but he has expressed some doubts about Rafa
07:30Liao as a center forward.
07:31He said, OK, he does score goals, but he's not a target man.
07:34He's proving that he's not necessarily a target man for his teammates as a number nine should
07:39be.
07:40Do you agree with him?
07:41I know that you are clearly rate Fabio Capello very highly, but do you have a different opinion?
07:46No, Fabio and I are in touch because he's a coach I rate very highly and I'm in touch
07:51with him regularly.
07:53As for Rafa Liao, thus far Rafa Liao has scored some important goals.
07:58It's only natural that with his skill set, at this moment in time, Niklas Fulkrug and Rafa
08:05Liao are the two center forwards.
08:07They have a different skill set.
08:08But as I've said, sometimes I hear people saying, yes, in the penalty area we occasionally
08:15give the sensation that we're missing something, but we have chances from other areas of the
08:20pitch.
08:20Maybe we don't have it by hitting the center forward, but we might do so by creating different
08:25match situations.
08:26And when Fulkrug is on the pitch, obviously it's a different kettle of fish because he
08:31has that skill set of a center forward that makes runs in behind that stays in the box.
08:38But Rafa Liao has played well so far as a center forward because a number of times we've actually
08:43moved well.
08:47But occasionally the ball hasn't necessarily come in, so we need to improve on that.
08:52We haven't yet had your comment on the famous incident in Milan, Parma on the block on Mike
08:59Mignon, but there was a similar incident yesterday and a completely different decision.
09:04So once again, we're coming back to the same conversation.
09:06What do you make of it?
09:09I'll say immediately that in the last three or four weeks, we've often spoken in the press
09:15conference about VAR, what you do, what you wouldn't do.
09:21My feeling is that we as a team need to think about what we must do because one incident cannot
09:29change the course of a game.
09:33And then the potential improvements to VAR and they're trying to change things today
09:39for the better.
09:40But we as a team, we mustn't have these excuses with the goals, with penalties, was it a foul,
09:49wasn't it a foul, because otherwise we're going in the wrong direction.
09:53I always say that one incident cannot decide a whole match because we need to do a good
10:03job of actually dealing with unforeseen circumstances because there are always unforeseen circumstances.
10:07So you need to manage them well if you fall a goal behind, if you get a penalty against
10:11you, if you concede a goal whereby there's a foul or there was no foul.
10:17Well, we mustn't cling on to that sort of stuff.
10:21We need to be focused on the match itself.
10:25Repubblica.
10:27Hi, coach.
10:29I wanted to ask you, some clubs are starting to suggest more or less directly.
10:38They'd actually like to try and trim down the VAR protocol, namely if there's a clear and
10:45obvious error, then the VAR can intervene and not only they want to actually remove some
10:52of the conditions that there are.
10:54Do you agree on an amendment in that sense?
10:57Do you believe that the VAR should be able to always step in to actually clear up clear
11:02and obvious errors?
11:05As I said, I don't really want to keep talking about VAR because ultimately I can't change
11:10anything.
11:11I read something today in the new laws they want to bring in, which is namely a corner kick
11:16if it's not a corner.
11:20And I think that's right.
11:22Why?
11:22Because that's objective.
11:26Then they will make some improvements, they'll experiment, they'll try things out.
11:30But let's try and actually improve things with regards to objective situations.
11:34Then, as for everything else, what's subjective remains subjective.
11:38Sport Italia.
11:40And then Tele Lombardia.
11:41Hi, coach.
11:46CS did a study in the week and they published, they said that Milan were the worst team in
11:52terms of pressing in the top five European leagues and only 12 teams around the world were
11:56worse than Milan.
11:57Could you explain this statistic to us?
12:01Because said like that, it feels like it could be something negative for your detractors,
12:08but I'm sure there is a reason behind it.
12:10How do you interpret that statistic?
12:17I don't need to necessarily justify or interpret it.
12:20There are teams that play one way, some teams that play another way.
12:23But above all, there is a fact.
12:25There is no one way of winning football matches.
12:31There are a number of different methodologies.
12:33There are some teams that play with different concepts based on their skill sets.
12:39And there are other teams that play differently.
12:41Thus far, we've achieved some good results.
12:44We could have had some better performances.
12:46We could have had some worse displays.
12:48I don't know.
12:49But we've got 54 points.
12:51And that's the tally that we deserve.
12:52And we need to move on from that.
12:57After 24 match days, they've started to speak in the dark alleys and corridors.
13:07And people are actually wondering, the fan base, could Allegri really leave at the end
13:12of the season?
13:13So I'd like to ask you two things.
13:14Could you reassure the fan base?
13:17Because they're pretty concerned about this.
13:19And second, do you think that some of the internal dynamics between you and the club,
13:26the senior management, needs to be clarified and needs to be actually clearly defined?
13:35As for the rumors that came out during the week, I'm completely on board with the club
13:40and the senior management.
13:42We're in touch.
13:43We speak all the time.
13:44But like everything, you know, there is a debate.
13:46And there are some people that see things one way and some that see things the other way.
13:50The important thing is we all work in the best interest of Milan.
13:54I'm delighted to have returned to Milan after 15 years away.
14:01And above all, I've started a job with a wonderful group of players who are achieving excellent
14:06things, but we need to finish the job in the best way possible.
14:11The club are currently structuring and planning the future for Milan.
14:18But in order to do so, we need to achieve the most important result.
14:24I said, let's get to March and let's try and be in a good position.
14:29So, for now, we're in a pretty good spot in March.
14:32But now we need to see if we do a good job to stay there or maybe even go one
14:38further step up.
14:39We don't know, but we need to work hard.
14:41But I'm very happy.
14:42I'm delighted there is this understanding between me and the fans and me and the club.
14:51With regards to managing defeats, do you believe that Inter and Juventus' defeats in the Champions League
15:01could have an impact on their league form?
15:06Could there be repercussions?
15:10Or will they actually be able to focus more domestically?
15:15We'll see with the results on the league table in the coming weeks and months.
15:20First and foremost, I am disappointed that the Italian teams have gone out of the Champions League.
15:26Let's hope that Atalanta, Bologna, Roma and Fiorentina can go as deep as possible in these competitions
15:36so they could potentially give us the chance to have a fifth Champions League place next season,
15:41given that we're very close to Germany.
15:45I was disappointed for Juventus, the same goes for Inter, but it's always good for Italian football
15:52when the Italian teams go deep in Europe.
15:54As for Serie A, we'll see.
15:56There are 12 matches which are remaining.
15:59A new league season has started.
16:00There are 12 matches remaining.
16:03Inter are 10 points clear.
16:04We're four points clear of Napoli and Roma and eight clear of Juventus.
16:11But we've got a cushion over these teams and we can either maintain them or increase them.
16:18We need to increase them.
16:20Calciomercato.com
16:24You're very good with numbers.
16:26I'd like to ask you a pretty tricky exercise at this moment in time,
16:30but we know there's a crucial stage of the season.
16:32If the season were to finish today, what mark out of 10 would you give to your Milan side?
16:3854.
16:3954.
16:40That's the points, Tali, we've got.
16:47If we talk about targets, the season doesn't finish today.
16:50It finishes on the 25th of May.
16:51So let's try and stay focused on what we need to do.
16:55And above all, let's try and make sure that we secure our main target.
17:07Right since the start of the season, you've only ever spoken about one goal, your main target of finishing in
17:13the Champions League places.
17:14But gradually, with the positive results, the fan base started to consider the idea of achieving something more than that.
17:21Ultimately, come the end of the season, if Milan were to finish in the top four, but weren't able to
17:27win the Scudetto, would the fan base be happy?
17:30And what would you potentially say to those supporters that say, oh, we should have done more?
17:38Well, I'd have nothing to say against the fan base.
17:43Because when you coach Milan, when you play for Milan, you always need to try and strive for the utmost.
17:50And if the utmost is first place, great.
17:53Second place, great.
17:54Third place, great.
17:55Fourth place, great.
17:56Why?
17:58Because you've achieved the utmost of what you're able to do.
18:04But the league table never lies.
18:08The best team over those 10 months always wins the league season.
18:12So if we've done a good job, at this moment in time, Inter are better than everyone else because they've
18:18got a 10-point lead over us.
18:20So we need to keep working, trying to achieve as much as we can to try and secure our target.
18:26And above all, I believe that for a club like Milan, it's very important to be involved in Champions League
18:34football.
18:37Because when you get to March and you're still in the fight, that's very significant.
18:43Because if you're in March and you're still in the Coppa Italia and you're still in the Champions League, then
18:49that's the most important thing.
18:50And that needs to be the first target for a top team.
18:52So this season, we need to try and work towards getting back into the Champions League to make sure that
18:57next season, in March, we're in this situation, but not only in Serie A.
19:07Hi, coach.
19:11Earlier on, we were talking about future.
19:14And Ardon Yashari should be a part of Milan's future.
19:18And he's gradually starting to make an impact in the here and now.
19:22What is he lacking to really grab Milan by the scruff of the neck, maybe when it comes to making
19:29runs from deep, late, a bit like Rabiot does?
19:32Is that something he's missing?
19:32These are two players with a completely different skill set.
19:37I think Ardon Yashari is a very good player when it comes to building up the play.
19:44In terms of qualities, he's a player that makes less late runs like Rabiot, but he's not as big as
19:51Adrian Rabiot.
19:52Unfortunately, he had this injury at the start of the season, which has held him back a touch.
19:56But over the last two months, everyone has come on leaps and bounds.
20:00He has, Udog, who has, Atacame, De Winter, all of these players that the club signed last summer.
20:08And lest we forget all the other players as well.
20:10And also the players that were already here have also improved.
20:14So it's an excellent group of players.
20:19And come the end of this season, they need to get us into the best possible league position.
20:30Hi, coach.
20:32I wanted to ask you about Christian Pulisic, who's certainly one of the best footballers in this team.
20:39You said he was devilish in the penalty area.
20:41And, of course, he has been held back by injuries this season.
20:44And on Sunday against Parma, he was lacking a little bit of a cool head with that particular chance.
20:50How's his week gone, and how far off is Christian Pulisic to being devilish once again in the opposition penalty
20:57area?
20:58I think he's close if he's not already an excellent percentage in terms of the peak of his powers.
21:06He's improved physically.
21:08He's a lot happier, and he's got a lot more self-confidence.
21:12So he could get back on the score sheets.
21:15Milan News.
21:17Good afternoon, coach.
21:19On the start of your press conference, you spoke about repercussions.
21:24So I wanted to ask you, what have you made of the team in the last few days,
21:29and what have you focused on this week to make sure that the Parma game doesn't have an impact negatively
21:35on the Cremonese fixture?
21:38We've had a good week's training.
21:41We've tried to think very little and run a great deal.
21:49Last two questions.
21:55Milan Vibes.
21:58Hi, coach.
22:00Staying on Yashari against Como and Parma, we finally saw him alongside Luka Modric,
22:07and do you believe that he can be a number eight or is the best solution to play him as
22:12part of a double pivot
22:13so you can free up Rabiot to make those late runs forward?
22:17As I said earlier on, he's coming on leaps and bounds.
22:20He's produced some good performances.
22:22He looked good when he came off the bench against Parma,
22:24but it's only natural that he makes fewer runs forward than Adrian Rabiot
22:28because he's a player with a different skill set, but he's been an excellent son.
22:32Away you go, Carlo.
22:36Max, I wanted to finish this press conference with a musical reference.
22:41You need to focus, of course, on tomorrow's game against Cremonese,
22:46but I also want to talk about the future.
22:48There was a song during the week.
22:52Why?
22:55Because I wanted to talk about your future.
23:00Forever Yes, it's a song by Yasal Da Vinci.
23:03I even heard it and I really like this song.
23:05I imagined as much.
23:10So, I've played it and you know it as well.
23:13In terms of your future, would you like that Forever Yes?
23:17Do you have the mentality to not only be the head coach of Milan,
23:21but maybe become the manager, sort of a Ferguson or Wenger figure?
23:27Of course, you need to make sure that you are still successful.
23:32You don't get sacked.
23:33Do you like that idea or is that not part of who you are?
23:39I think you only need to see that I've spent 20 years in Serie A.
23:43I've spent eight in Juventus, five now at Milan,
23:47so I've spent the majority of my time in two clubs for a long period.
23:53So, let's say it's part and parcel of who I am, my DNA.
23:56I don't tend to jump from one club to another, at least thus far.
24:00But as a general manager of a club, I'd like to finish here,
24:05but this is something that I'm very pleased about.
24:08Namely, is that people that work with me,
24:12so Paolo Bianco, for instance, we work together.
24:19People that I've worked with who give me a great deal,
24:22have a wonderful staff,
24:24and they've really helped to improve the job that I do,
24:27above all the younger people.
24:29Then they start to become head coaches and they go elsewhere,
24:32and that's a huge source of pride.
24:34I'm delighted about that.
24:38So, I really like this role.
24:41Plus, I'm getting on a little bit,
24:43so you do need some young, fresh ideas,
24:46younger people surrounding you.
24:47And as I said,
24:50thus far, I've had a number of years at Juventus,
24:52a number of years at Milan.
24:57And ultimately, yes,
24:59we are tied inextricably linked to results.
25:04But I could have a long run at this Milan side,
25:07because the club have clear ideas.
25:09They want to regularly be qualifying for the Champions League,
25:12and that needs to be our goal.
25:14And of course,
25:15we then want to try and win some trophies as well, absolutely.
25:19Thanks very much, everyone.
25:20What?