Vincenzo Montella reveals he had no idea Milan were about to sack him, and says the “timing” surprised him.
The Coach was relieved of his duties yesterday, with Primavera Coach Gennaro Gattuso promoted to replace him.
“I was calm and I didn’t suspect anything, I swear,” Montella told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Anything. I was ready for training as always, on a normal day like any other.
Vincenzo Montella reveals he had no idea Milan were about to sack him, and says the “timing” surprised him.
The Coach was relieved of his duties yesterday, with Primavera Coach Gennaro Gattuso promoted to replace him.
“I was calm and I didn’t suspect anything, I swear,” Montella told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Anything. I was ready for training as always, on a normal day like any other.
“What surprised me most? The timing, there were other times where it would have been more plausible. This time the team was giving answers though, both technically and temperamentally.
“When I arrived at Milanello I was greeted by [Giuseppe] Mangiarano, our secretary general who came with me to see the [sporting] director. Then [Massimiliano] Mirabelli told me they’d made the decision in the night.
“The time zone did the rest, I think it was a choice more by the owners than the directors.
“The players greeted me with great affection, I don’t like goodbyes and it was certainly a bad thing but everyone – and I mean everyone – was affectionate.
“Even [Riccardo] Montolivo who had been out for some time and [Gabriel] Paletta who, like some others, hadn’t played much.
“The expectations were raised too high, as Milan Coach I won 33 games out of 64, so 50 per cent between the league and the cups.
“After that I certainly remember the win in the Supercoppa Italiana, the return to Europe and finishing first in the group to go through.
“These were results Milan had been missing for several years and we all shared in them.
“If Nikola Kalinic had scored [against Torino] or [Hakan] Calhanoglu had found the right angle in the 92nd minute maybe we wouldn’t be in this scenario.
“There’s no culprit though, in fact the group is to be defended because there are no slackers, everyone wanted to grow and follow me.
“If the results aren’t coming, the first to be guilty is always the Coach.
“I was always supported and I can confirm there was no argument with Mirabelli. Ever. And not with a player either.
“I worked well, and if I had to finish then I wanted it to end like this; having worked well and above all with good conscience.
“We’re talking about a group that is finding its way. We played badly against Sampdoria and were scattered against Lazio but the technical project moves forward.
“If we lost to the big teams it was for several reasons, not because the game was badly managed. To get to their level takes time, last year Juve came 28 points above us, Roma 24 and Napoli 23.”
Montella was also asked about Gattuso, and predicts he’ll have a good start.
“He made history with the club, I have a great relationship with him and I want him to take Milan back to the top. It’s better a friend than anyone else.
“Will he start well? Here I can be a bit presumptive and say I would have too. There was a run of games which were the easiest in the fixture list where we could have got the run of results I genuinely think we deserved for the way we were playing.
“I calmly accept this choice though and I’m thankful for the opportunity, I’ll always be proud that I got to coach to the team I supported as a child. It has the potential to be a top team.
“If the young people above all know how to put their talent into practice, the group is of the highest standard.”