Ignazio Abate believes Milan have “lost their nerve” since the derby, but Gennaro Gattuso “knows how to handle” Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The Rossoneri kept their Champions League qualification hopes alive by beating Bologna 2-1 at San Siro on Monday evening, in a bad-tempered affair that saw three red cards.
Ignazio Abate believes Milan have “lost their nerve” since the derby, but Gennaro Gattuso “knows how to handle” Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The Rossoneri kept their Champions League qualification hopes alive by beating Bologna 2-1 at San Siro on Monday evening, in a bad-tempered affair that saw three red cards.
“I want to thank my Coach Gattuso, I know he respects me,” Abate told Sky Sport Italia after he made just his second league start since January.
“Those who have played less this year are prepared to come in and give their all. At the same time though, we can’t deny that we are in a bad moment, mentally.
“Since the derby, we have lost our nerve. In situations like this, you must keep calm, you must match the opponents in determination and not lose your cool.
“This was a tight game; we’ve dropped too many points this season. Taking just five points out of our last 21 away from home is far too few."
French midfielder Bakayoko clashed with his Coach on the sidelines, apparently refusing to come on as a substitute for the injured Lucas Biglia.
“We struggled, but the win was deserved. What happened with Bakayoko was unpleasant and shouldn’t have happened, but Gattuso knows how to handle the situation.
“He sent us into a training retreat and we tried to focus ourselves. Wearing this shirt isn’t easy, you must make sacrifices to get big wins.
“We hope to do something special over these last three games and we can’t give an inch. We will concentrate on the Fiorentina match now.”