Press conference, Gattuso: “I want my team to react”
After two consecutive flops Gattuso is searching for his first win. At today’s pre-match press conference the coach declares: “It is essential to start winning a few games”.
The Rossoneri are back playing in Serie A ready for another important match after the recent Europa League painless defeat – in terms of final standings in the group – against Rijeka and the dramatic last-gasp draw conceded at Benevento, last Sunday. Rino Gattuso and his men will now be taking on Bologna at San Siro on Sunday evening, looking to put to an end their negative home streak. This is what the boss had to say at the regular pre-match press conference at Milanello
ON BOLOGNA AND DONADONI
“I know Roberto (Donadoni) really well. I have great respect for him as he always says things to your face and he’s a well-prepared coach. We have to be aware of Bologna. It’s not by chance they have won 12 points out of 21 away from home. I expect grit and desire. What happened on Thursday is something that can happen in football. I want to see my team react after being slapped down.
BACK AT SAN SIRO
“My personal feelings take a backseat to the team and the club. Of course, it’s going to be an emotional moment but it won’t last more than a couple of minutes, then I will focus only on taking home the win. We need our fans tomorrow. These boys need the people of San Siro.
ON THE SYSTEM OF PLAY
“Playing in a 4-3-3? We’ll see. I think that we need some time to play well in a 3-man defence and to have our players giving their best we need to change something. This doesn’t mean Vincenzo (Montella) and his staff made a mistake. Had we won at Benevento nobody would have said anything about the defeat in Rijeka. Moreover, I wanted to give some playing time to those who had seen little or no action so far and in spite of the defeat, I actually saw good things from them.
ON THE CHANGES NEEDED
“We need to improve physically and psychologically, the fact that some players aren’t at their peak can’t be an alibi. We need to support each other and know we can only improve. Most importantly, we need victories. It is essential to start winning a few games.
ON THE INDIVIDUALS
“Andre Silva has great qualities and I see what he does in training. I expect more from him and all the others because they are really good players. Calhanoglu suffered an injury as soon as I got here. I speak with him every day and I think he has great qualities. He’s training hard, and he might be back sooner than expected.
ON THE TIME NEEDED
“It’s normal that things can’t change in ten-fifteen days. We need a month, a month and a half. But in this space of time, we still have to take home victories. The management has always backed me. We had a few issues in the past two matches but I see these players ready and willing. When I started coaching the Primavera team we didn’t have a great start to the season but we managed to turn things around. I am sure that with time we’ll do the same thing here”.