After a controversial 2-1 win over Bologna, AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso was happy with the attitude his team showed, and addressed the situation regarding Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The match started well for Milan who went ahead through Suso 37 minutes in, then Fabio Borini doubled the lead just after the hour mark.
However, a Mattia Destro equaliser five minutes later, and a red card for Lucas Paqueta made life difficult for the Rossoneri, but they held on, as the visitors were also reduced to ten men when Nicola Sansone was given his marching orders late on.
“I saw an angry team, because they were angry with mean in training,” Gattuso told the press. “I saw poison in their eyes.
“Despite playing badly, even though we did our homework [on Bologna], as well as being put under pressure, we brought home the win.
“Abate, Mauri, and Zapata all had cramp at the end, so we effectively had seven men on the field. We put in so much effort.
“I liked the spirit we showed, and some well placed set-pieces.”
On the attitude of the Milan players, Gattuso was clear as to how he wants them to think about playing for the club.
“We look each other in the face, and the word ‘I’ mustn’t exist,” Gattuso went on. “Even at home with my children, we always say ‘we’.
“If you want to talk about ‘I’, then go and play tennis. I’m not just angry now, I was born angry.
“My biggest mistake was talking too much about things which didn’t concern us. Being a coach is a lonely job, you forget that and at night you find yourself mulling things over, trying to find a balance.
“At some point you realise you have to go in a different direction, and that is something which took me a while to understand.”
During the first half Gattuso and Tiemoue Bakayoko had an altercation on the bench, with Jose Mauri taking to the field in place of the Frenchman, who then told his coach to ‘f*ck off’.
“I’ll talk about it in the dressing room,” Gattuso said. “He took so long to get ready, seven or eight minutes to put on shin guards, so I chose Mauri.
“In my career when I was wrong I always apologised. Milan [as a club] are the priority, not anyone else. I will close the controversy in the dressing room.
“Priority goes to Milan not to egos, the only thing I am worried about is death.”
