Sporting director Leonardo analyzes the recent negative performances of AC Milan in Serie A and especially what happened yesterday with Atalanta.
Great disappointment has plagued Casa Milan after yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Atalanta. Making matter worse is the fact that Gennaro Gattuso’s team played an excellent game, especially in the first half, when Gonzalo Higuain broke the deadlock 93 seconds after the game had started. In the second half, Gian Piero Gasperini changed the outcome of the match by entering Zapata and Rigoni. The duo was decisive in equalizing the match twice and the wasteful Rossoneri drop two valuable points at San Siro.
LEO’S ANALYSIS – Sporting director Leonardo too had his say after the discouraging home draw against Atalanta. After the match Leo declared: “We have to change the sixth place mentality, both in club and on the pitch. We can achieve important results this season but we have to give a signal already in the next matches. It is not an excuse but if we have a look at the last five years, Milan always has finished away from the top 4 and it is normal to lose the conviction of being a big team.
It’s not an alibi. Throughout the game, we do really good things and then we struggle. Our goal has to be to dominate the game, be in control, being prepared to suffer but then we need to put the game to bed. Yesterday we could have finished the game already in the first half had we made it 2-0 but as soon as the result went 2-1 we dropped the intensity and started to struggle“.
CHANGE OF MENTALITY – Its’ hard to argue against what Leonardo said because it’s all true. If the Rossoneri want to win then the team must change mentality, otherwise Milan risks continuing to fight for Europa League rather then a place in Champions League or the Scudetto. This week, Il Diavolo will play two away games against Empoli and Sassuolo. Two great chances for Gattuso’s squad to return to the winning ways and immediately forget the last two underwhelming draws full of regrets.
