Following AC Milan’s Europa League exit against Arsenal, coach Gennaro Gattuso was surprisingly serene and refused to lay any blame at the door of Danny Welbeck or the referee.
The striker came under fire for his first half dive which won the Gunners a penalty moments after Hakan Calhanoglu had brought Milan back into the tie with a fantastic strike.
However, the Rossoneri boss preferred to focus on his own side and their shortcomings rather than lambast the opposition or the match official.
“Welbeck did his job and we don’t judge a nation by something one player does. I’m not there to judge him. We were playing in an important game and even when I was a player, I always tried to get away with something,” he told reporters afterwards.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because we don’t want to look for excuses. It would be easy to cling onto that, saying it was bad luck. We just have to look ahead and focus on not making any mistakes going forward.
“All that angers me is two things. I don’t want to hear about what could have been and I don’t want my team to give in. In 10 years, people will look at the result and all they’ll see is Arsenal 3 Milan 1. The goal that bothered me most was the third.”
The game was also notable for a glaring error from Gianluigi Donnarumma to gift Arsenal their second goal on the night and Gattuso believes transfer speculation may have played a part in the youngster’s focus.
“Goalkeepers make mistakes, they are just like any other player but the important thing is to move on and not let these things hurt you. Wednesday will be the last time I mention Pepe Reina’s name in a press conference,” he added.
“We have talked too much about Reina this week. We must be quiet and leave Gigio alone. I have a duty to protect him and there’s a great respect and trust in him.
“He’s a young boy who is going through a special time. As far as I’m concerned, he only wants affection and closeness.”
