Massimiliano Allegri has refused to comment on whether Milan will fine Mario Balotelli after his sending off at the weekend.
The young striker was given a red card after the match with Napoli on Sunday, and will be suspended for the game against Bologna tomorrow.
Massimiliano Allegri has refused to comment on whether Milan will fine Mario Balotelli after his sending off at the weekend.
The young striker was given a red card after the match with Napoli on Sunday, and will be suspended for the game against Bologna tomorrow.
“Mario has made a mistake, penalizing the team, club and the fans and he must change this,” he told a Press conference.
“Balotelli should help referees to protect him because if another player had suffered the fouls he did on Sunday then they would have whistled. The referees should be left alone because they can be influenced by negative attitudes.
“Mario is 23-years-old, he is no longer a child and to be a champion you have to have a correct behavior because you are an example for all those who look up to you. I hope for him he benefits from it and realizes that put team and club is in difficulty.
“You have to go on the pitch thinking about doing well. When you finish the game you need to go in the dressing room, accept what happened and think of working to do better. The club will decide what to do about Mario.
“We will try to make up for the absence of Balotelli with team play. When Mario arrived he gave us something more from the point of view of the individual and if on Sunday he played a good game it was because the team worked well.
“I thought Reina was Napoli's best player. It is a contradiction to say that Milan played badly if the goalkeeper is the best player on the pitch. There are two things to consider: the firstly Balotelli has a wrong attitude towards referees. At the last meeting it was requested that everyone has a more correct attitude towards the referees.”
Allegri then commented on the amount of goals the Rossoneri have conceded this term, but once again returned to Balotelli
“We have let in too many. Seven in four matches is not good. We must avoid goals at dead-ball situation and we need to be more alert and focused in certain situations. Against Celtic, for example, we did not concede any.
“Players must think just about playing and not think about the decisions of the referees. There are situations that go beyond the rules of good manners. When the match is over it is over. Balotelli was wrong and that's that, he must grow-up. He is a world-class player and an Italy international so he should set an example. He has been fine up until Sunday so hopefully he has learnt his lesson.
"Balotelli and Higuain are two different players, the Argentine is a real out and out striker while Mario does best when attacking along the flank. He needs to improve his team-work and we have to remember that this is first year as the main player and should be playing in three games a week. We started the season thinking about the playoffs, we got into the Champions League and we started well with Celtic. In the league we are a bit further back but we have time to get back.
“They are well equipped teams like Napoli, Juventus, Roma, Fiorentina and Inter. I think Inter will become one of the top three teams in Italy, not having the any cups worries they have all week to prepare for the games. I am not worried because Abbiati. He has always had great seasons and in the decisive moments he has always made great performances.
“Let's see what we can do tomorrow night. We will take one step at a time. We are eight points off the pace and we will slowly get back on your track. It is not great playing without some of our fans because they have always got behind us."