Gennaro Gattuso had mixed feelings as AC Milan beat Empoli 3-0 in Serie A on Friday night at the Stadio San Siro, cementing their fourth place in the Serie A table.
The coach was happy with the result and the overall performance, but added that he was very angry after the first half, as Milan struggled to be dangerous in the first 45 mintues.
“I didn’t like the first half, I was very angry at the break, Empoli defended very well,” Gattuso told the press.
“We were slow in possession, we hardly ever created chances.
“We did much better in the second half, we were lucky to score straight away and need to keep up the good work.
“Getting results, fighting every single match, this is how we get the fans on our side.
“I can’t promise we have surpassed the difficult stage fully, but we have a lot of enthusiasm now.
“What I can say is that we’re a young team, that’s growing, and we need to keep on working hard, winning games like we did today, reacting in the second half after a bad first half.”
Krzysztof Piatek, Franck Kessie and Samu Castillejo were on the scoresheet and Gattuso praised his men.
“[Tiemoue] Bakayoko made everyone changed their mind, working hard and showing it on the pitch,” Gattuso went on.
“[Alessio] Romagnoli has been working hard, has been putting in the extra work and this is important for his career.
“I won’t put a price tag on Romagnoli, or else someone will come and buy him. He is bad, he is worthless, he stays here…,” joked Gattuso.
“[Hakan] Calhanoglu has made mistakes, but it’s because he never hides, he’s always asking for the ball. In the past three games he’s shown what he’s able to do.
“Andrea Conti had a positive game, but it’s what we expect from him. Before the injury he was paid 25 million euros and was in the National team. He can do better, and we need to help him be at his best.
“All the players – even those who play less – work hard, and despite sometimes being disappointed for the lack of playing time, they show respect and work to be ready.”
The derby against Inter is just two weeks away, but Gattuso does not want to think about it: “We can’t afford to think about the derby now, there’s too many important games beforehand,” he concluded.
