Gennaro Gattuso admits Milan are “in a crisis” after their home defeat to Fiorentina, failing to score for three games in a row.
The Rossoneri’s campaign is going off the rails in recent weeks with surprise Europa League elimination, two 0-0 draws with Torino and Bologna, then this afternoon’s 1-0 home loss to Fiorentina.
Lazio have leapfrogged Milan into fourth place this weekend and there are reports Gattuso could be fired to make way for Arsene Wenger.
Gennaro Gattuso admits Milan are “in a crisis” after their home defeat to Fiorentina, failing to score for three games in a row.
The Rossoneri’s campaign is going off the rails in recent weeks with surprise Europa League elimination, two 0-0 draws with Torino and Bologna, then this afternoon’s 1-0 home loss to Fiorentina.
Lazio have leapfrogged Milan into fourth place this weekend and there are reports Gattuso could be fired to make way for Arsene Wenger.
"It's certainly a difficult moment," Gattuso told reporters, "but today we were in a state of emergency because of our injuries. I have nothing to reproach the team for. This result is hard to swallow, we weren’t sharp, but we weren’t lucky either.
“The statistics say that Milan are in crisis. We’ve been struggling to cause problems for our opponents over the last three weeks. It’s fair to say we’ve not exactly been calm before that either, but we have to find some peace and not seek scapegoats.
“The team did everything it possibly could today and we tried to win it, but lost our shape under Fiorentina pressure.”
However, Gattuso did aim a few sideswipes at some of the players brought in over the summer.
“Samu Castillejo and Diego Laxalt were really below par. We are missing the players who are meant to give that extra bit of quality and final ball in. This is why I say it’s wrong to just blame Gonzalo Higuain for the lack of goals.
“Recent results have not gone our way and we’ve slipped down the table. Smashing up tables or punching the wall won’t change anything. I can’t reproach the team. We are going through a negative moment, but we are all on the same boat.”
Franck Kessie and Tiemoue Bakayoko were suspended, with Andrea Bertolacci, Giacomo Bonaventura, Fabio Borini and Lucas Biglia injured.
"Today I had redesign the midfield from scratch. We can certainly do better at developing our game, we should have exploited openings when they presented themselves."
There is a great deal of speculation on Milan's possible approach to the winter transfer window, which might include a swap deal involving Higuain and Chelsea's Alvaro Morata.
"This is a question for the club. Pipita's conditions right now are far from brilliant, no less than for the whole team. But as long as he's at Milanello, he remains an important player, whose potential must be fully exploited. No striker is ever happy when he does not score, but the whole team is having trouble and Higuain is no exception.
"As for the mercato, no, I can't tell you what we're missing. That's not my job, I'm here tonight to account for what didn't work. Don't ask me to discuss transfers after a defeat, it puts me in a difficult situation because it's not my job and it does not concern me.”