Giacomo Bonaventura has dismissed critics of Milan's quality, whilst claiming they could have been 'just behind the top three'.
The Rossoneri suffered heavy criticism from one of their former champions, Zvonimir Boban, who declared that the reason the team wasn't doing well was that players were 'mediocre'.
Bonaventura took the opportunity at a media event in Milan to slam Boban's comments.
Giacomo Bonaventura has dismissed critics of Milan's quality, whilst claiming they could have been 'just behind the top three'.
The Rossoneri suffered heavy criticism from one of their former champions, Zvonimir Boban, who declared that the reason the team wasn't doing well was that players were 'mediocre'.
Bonaventura took the opportunity at a media event in Milan to slam Boban's comments.
“I didn't expect that of him,” he has responded. “In the past he was a truly great player and I think he should know the trouble faced by those who take to the pitch, especially in moments such as these, when things are complicated at all levels.
“He probably never lived through certain hard times.
“This team, in my opinion, has a squad that deserves better than our current position in the standings.
“I certainly expected to find myself a bit higher than this. We could have been just behind the top three. But if this is where we are, then we've all made some mistakes."
Asked about the reasons for the Rossoneri's decline, the 25-year-old pointed to their physical condition.
“Injuries sometimes happen if you don't play well. And in January we played a lot of games, with no time to train.
“Over the winter break we left for Dubai, but that was about marketing more than it was about proper training.
“I think this had an influence on our injuries, and when you lose a lot of players, you also drop confidence and points.
“At the end of December we were in an excellent physical condition and we'd been playing with the same formation for a while, which had built our confidence.
“There are highs and lows in every season, but we must keep working, and we must learn from the negative things that happen.”