The Diavolo manager insists that the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur will not affect his team, and hails Stephan El-Shaarawy
A.C Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is hoping for a change in fortunes in the UEFA Champions League ahead of the game against Arsenal.
The Rossoneri will take on Arsene Wenger’s men in first of the two-legged tie of the last 16 round at San Siro on Wednesday, 15 February 2012. Milan have had poor luck in the European competitions of late, having failed to go beyond
the first knockout round since winning the competition in the 2006/07 season.
The Diavolo were knocked out by Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 round of the competition last season, and Allegri is looking to improve his team’s European record. The manager is looking to work on the mistakes they made against
the Spurs last season, and wants his team to go into the return leg with a clean sheet.
Allegri is aware of the threat posed by Arsenal, insisting that the Gunners play excellent football, and have some top-class players at their disposal. The former Cagliari boss has demanded concentration from his side, and insists
that they need to focus for full 180 minutes of the clash.
While talking to the reporters, Allegri said,
“I’m optimistic, very optimistic. We gave too much space to Spurs last season. Not conceding at home will be an advantage. We want to do better in the Champions League than we did last year, but that Tottenham tie shouldn’t affect
us.”
“We know about the strength of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429, they play excellent football, they are an excellent collective with excellent individuals. We’ll have to be very alert in defence, but this is not just one game. This will be played over
180 minutes.”
The 44-year-old went onto praise young striker, Stephan El-Shaarawy, for his recent performances for the club. The rookie striker scored against Juventus and Udinese in the recent games. However, Allegri insists that playing in
Europe will be too much of an asking for the former Genoa star, and is willing to give him to mature.
Milan are top of the Serie A standings, whereas, the Gunners are fourth in the Premier League table.
Tags: