Vincenzo Montella warned Milan “victory is fundamental” against Udinese tomorrow and could start Gerard Deulofeu.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“Udinese are a tough side to face, as they stop you playing your game and are strong on the counter,” noted the Coach in his Press conference.
Vincenzo Montella warned Milan “victory is fundamental” against Udinese tomorrow and could start Gerard Deulofeu.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“Udinese are a tough side to face, as they stop you playing your game and are strong on the counter,” noted the Coach in his Press conference.
“Victory is fundamental and we need a great performance to achieve it. Udinese are coming off some undeserved results and will be eager to make up for those.
“We have to act as if our campaign starts tomorrow and above all be a mature side. We have our journey, which means improving some aspects and consolidating what’s going well. It takes time, we’re moving on to phase two.”
Milan went out of the Coppa Italia in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Juventus and lost 2-1 to Napoli last week in Serie A, both times going 2-0 down within 20 minutes.
“We haven’t really started the last two games with the wrong attitude, but the capabilities of our opponents happened to make the difference.
“It’s an important period for Manuel Locatelli and Gigio Donnarumma, as for the first time they must learn to absorb criticism, even if it’s unfair. This is part of the sport and they mustn’t let it affect their confidence.
“Locatelli made a mistake with the red card, he’s 18 years old and plenty of 30-year-olds have made the exact same mistake. The important thing is to learn from it and go forward.
“As for Gigio, I don’t see what more he could’ve done on the Miralem Pjanic free kick. He certainly is not distracted by contract talk.”
Deulofeu arrived on loan from Everton this week and made his debut in the closing stages against Juventus.
“It’s possible he could start tomorrow. He has always been seen as someone destined for greatness, so we have to work out why he hasn’t quite reached that level. My job will be to get the best out of him. He’s in good shape physically and really eager. He could start tomorrow.”
Davide Calabria is out injured, but Mati Fernandez and Mattia De Sciglio are available again.
Milan squad for Udinese: Donnarumma, Plizzari, Storari; Abate, Antonelli, De Sciglio, Gomez, Paletta, Romagnoli, Vangioni, Zapata; Bertolacci, Bonaventura, Honda, Kucka, Locatelli, Pasalic, Poli, Sosa, Mati Fernandez; Bacca, Deulofeu, Lapadula, Suso