ALLEGRI: "LEAGUE IS OPEN, CONSISTENCY NEEDED"

Following Friday's draw against Pisa, a tough midweek trip awaits. At 12:00 CET, Massimiliano Allegri has spoken ahead of the Rossoneri's clash against Atalanta in Bergamo, scheduled for 20:45 CET on Tuesday 28 October. The highlights from his press conference, broadcast live on the AC Milan Official App and Milan TV:

THE ROSSONERI'S FORM
"We knew that the schedule until the next break would be filled with difficult and complex matches, but they all are. We made life difficult for ourselves against Pisa and we could've done better. Atalanta have some great physical and technical qualities, it's always difficult playing in Bergamo. It's a direct clash because we will be up against a team who are fighting for spot in the top four".

PLAYERS COMING BACK
"We will have Loftus-Cheek back tomorrow, Pulisic should at least make the bench for the Parma game and Estupiñan should return to training with the squad in the next few weeks. Jashari could join up with the team from Wednesday, we'll try to organise a friendly to hell him find his condition and feet during the break".

ON GIMENEZ
"For a forward, everything can change in just one match. Santiago works a lot for the team and is doing well. We want to see a bit more balance in his decision-making; he's a great player and brilliant forward, he's always scored goals and will do so this season".

ON LEÃO
"I think that Rafa can score lots of goals. His condition is improving and he's showing all of his characteristics. He needs to improve in the area, to be more decisive. He's recovered physically and can still improve, just like the rest of the team".

MODRIĆ, RICCI AND FOFANA
"Luka is very good at directing things, he's totally capable of playing in a role that he's not used to and he can help everyone to play well. The longer he is on the pitch, the better for us as spectators. Samuele is playing in a different role to the one he is used and is doing well, I'm happy. He can improve his passing speed, over the years, he will get there and then he will be able to play in front of the defence. Fofana? He's developing defensively, he has amazing potential, he should demand more from himself".

OFFICIATING
"We need to move forward, we cannot turn back. Refereeing is difficult, especially in such a quick and physically intense league. VAR has improved lots of things, but it creates arguments when it becomes subjective. The referees make mistakes, just like us, there needs to be more serenity in accepting the decisions. When it is given in favour of you, you're happy and you close an eye, otherwise a third eye opens up: but this is normal. The referee's are young and good, they need to build up their experience, everything will fall into place in time. Then, for myself, I should not get as angry, but I am also human. FVS? There's this possibility in Lega Pro. If VAR has been introduced then it is only natural to have this kind of wildcard option".

FOCUS ON THE PITCH
"We must look at what we do on the pitch and need to accept the decisions made, even when they annoy us. We should've been more alert in the last five minutes against Pisa as we tried to build plays that could've brought us goals, like the last one from Saelemaekers. We played poorly and we risked losing the game entirely on three occasions. It's an example of how we mustn't lose nervous energy over the refereeing mistakes. Working on these mistakes will create the awareness needed to be a strong team. We fretted too much and this led to mistakes. A good team knows that a match can be won or lost in just five minutes".

THE SHORT TO LONG TERM PERIOD
"The league is wide open at the moment, we will see who will have the strength to maintain consistency. We will see if the draw against Pisa will damage us in the long run. Our squad is strong and there can be unforeseen circumstances like injuries, but we're recovering. We're doing well physically and as a result of this situation, we've discovered the true quality of players like Bartesaghi, De Winter and Ricci. We will need to be technically brilliant tomorrow to maintain consistency. Whoever is playing, is doing well, after Atalanta we will try to arrive in the best condition possible - physically and in terms of the league - because our season will be played from January to February. We will need to be in and around the Champions League spots then to be in a good position in March. We weren't phenomenons before and we're not poor now: we need to do more than just talk".

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