Milan assistant Mauro Tassotti has warned the Rossoneri against complacency as they prepare to face Udinese.
The San Siro outfit host the Zebrette in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Wednesday, but the Coach has claimed that his men will have to be at their best to beat Francesco Guidolin’s team.
Milan assistant Mauro Tassotti has warned the Rossoneri against complacency as they prepare to face Udinese.
The San Siro outfit host the Zebrette in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Wednesday, but the Coach has claimed that his men will have to be at their best to beat Francesco Guidolin’s team.
"Knock-out matches are always dangerous, we’re favourites because of home advantage and Udinese will play with less pressure on them,” he told a Press conference.
“Even though they’re struggling, they’re a good side, they’ve got good players and against us in the Italian Cup they’ve got a good record. We want to progress .
“The Italian Cup seems the best route to qualify for Europe next season. We’ll play with a side to win, every player that takes to the pitch will have to have keep this in mind.
“We’ll continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation and will do so until the end of the season. It’s a development on the 4-4-2 formation.
“I’m getting on well with Clarence, there was a moment of confusion after the dismissal of Allegri, but that’s normal. I worked for three and a half years with other staff members and I’m committed to the club.
“I’ve known Clarence for years. He’s very attentive to every minor detail, he’s aware of everything, he’s completely thrown himself into the job. I think he was preparing for this job for a while and it’s clear that he was working towards this.”
Tassotti then reflected on the last League game with Verona, one that Milan won thanks to a late Mario Balotelli penalty.
“In the first 30 minutes, when we played really well, we played in their half. We played with an advanced back line and we want to try and continue pressing this way for a whole match.
“We’ll try against everybody. Naturally it’s going to be harder against the stronger sides, but we’ll try nevertheless. When there is a new Coach, everything starts from scratch. It’s now down to us to maintain this enthusiasm.
“It’s true that despite creating many opportunities, we weren’t clinical enough in the first half. However, Verona were hard to break down giving us little space.
“In any case we weren’t that vulnerable in both halves of the match. We deserved a goal in the first half and in the second half our performance dropped off and we created fewer chances.
“Balotelli? Mario has been playing as a centre-forward for a couple of years, he plays in that role for the national team, and since his arrival he’s been playing there.
“We’re asking him to be more involved during matches. On Sunday he did this. It seems that he is calmer now although he has always been this way despite the odd outburst.”
The backroom staff member then moved on to Keisuke Honda’s role in the team.
“Honda needs to train more and needs game time after a long break without playing. Honda’s favourite position is just behind the striker. He doesn’t like to play out wide. From our initial conversations, that seems to be his preferred position.”