The Rossoneri coach spoke about the away game in Emilia: “Pulisic has recovered, but I don’t know how many minutes he has left in him. Leao had cramps against Roma. Rabiot and Gimenez are out.”
The word “derby” is still off-limits. Milan has only one focus right now: tomorrow night’s away game in Parma. Max Allegri keeps this in mind, also pointing out that the points the Rossoneri dropped were against Cremonese and Pisa—teams fighting to avoid relegation. Parma, too, is aiming for that minimum goal, so Milan would be wise not to look beyond Emilia. Allegri warns: “We know we’re facing a team that’s fighting hard and has Pellegrino, a striker who excels in aerial duels. We need to prepare ourselves mentally: it may not be a ‘beautiful’ game, but the result will be what matters. We’ll have to be quick and focused on defense, as well as more clinical and ruthless in front of goal. And we need to match our opponent, running at least as hard as they do. Only then will our technical qualities shine through.” Max’s message is clear, with no other “distractions”… “We’re not thinking about the derby at all: the three points in Parma will be even more important, because the next game is always the one that matters most.”
The watchword, however, is consistency: consistency in performance—which is also necessary to approach the derby in the best possible way—and consistency in the lineup. Will the team field the same players as last time? Up front, it’ll still be Leao and Nkunku. “Pulisic is available, though I don’t know how many minutes he’ll get—but he’s fine. We also have Estupinan and Jashari. Rabiot and Gimenez will be ready after the break. Did Rafa come off with cramps against Roma? That means he held up well—he’d been out for many days: he needs to maintain this attitude consistently; it shouldn’t be a one-off. That goes for him and for everyone.”
FUTURE OUTLOOK— Max boasts impressive stats: the Rossoneri’s first away win came at Parma. Today we’re at 99… : “From that first win, I remember Pirlo’s goal—it was another hard-fought match… 100? Let’s hope so, but more than anything, for the three points!” Then on the team: “Maignan’s contract extension? I’ll say this to all the guys: when you’re at Milan, you have to work with drive and passion; you have to hold on tight to that jersey and lay the groundwork for success. Mike is a tremendous goalkeeper: the club is planning for the future, and the management will do what’s best for the team. A new center forward? We believe in Gimenez, as well as Rafa and Nkunku, who can play as center forwards.”
