Allegri refuses to blame Pulisic, hints at new Milan system

Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri refuses to blame Christian Pulisic for his errors in front of the goal against Fiorentina and admits he’s testing a four-man defence.

Milan visit Cesc Fabregas’ Como at the Stadio Sinigaglia tomorrow in a rescheduled Serie A Week 16 fixture.

The Rossoneri will travel to Como without the injured Niclas Fullkrug and Strahinja Pavlović, but Rafael Leao is fit and expected to start.

Milan are unbeaten in 18 league games, but visit Como on the back of two consecutive draws against Genoa and Fiorentina, who sit in the bottom half of the table.

“We have 40 points, those are the ones we earned on the pitch, and it’s a good base. No one can take them away from us,” Allegri said at a press conference on Wednesday via Milannews.

“Now we have to think about the next 19 matches, the second half of the season, and pick up points to stay in the top four.

“It’s not Fabregas against Allegri, it’s Como against Milan. Fabregas is doing an excellent job; it’s a lively Como side that presses well and is technically strong. He’s doing a great job even if he’s only been coaching for two or three years.

“We need to get back to being a bit more ruthless during matches. There are moments when we’re a little fragile in both phases,” Allegri continued.

“And we need to improve certain situations of play, especially being more technically precise. The players have great quality, but they need to be convinced that they are a strong team.”

Milan had some big chances to take the lead with Pulisic in the first half against Fiorentina, but Pietro Comuzzo gave the Tuscans the lead in the second half while Christopher Nkunku levelled the score with a last-minute goal for the Rossoneri.

“On Sunday, after 15 minutes, we had already been through on goal three times with Pulisic. I you score, the approach is right; if you don’t…everything is judged by the result,” noted Allegri.

“Against Roma at home, we had half an hour of terror, then we went ahead, and in the second half, we had four or five chances to score. That’s football. Then there are unexpected events that we need to manage.

“‘Ifs’ and ‘buts’ get you nowhere. What if Pulisic had scored three goals in Florence…he didn’t. He had scored before, and maybe he’ll score again tomorrow. We have to focus on our performances and improve our mental focus. We’re in the second half of the season, and there’s no more time to make up for mistakes.”

Milan have mostly used a 3-5-2 system since the start of the season, but Allegri is also testing a four-man defence at Milanello.

“That could be a solution. It’s something I’m thinking about, and we’re working on it,” admitted the Milan coach.

“It depends on the moment and the characteristics of the available players. Right now, Fullkrug is out, and if I played with three forwards, I’d have no one on the bench. In Florence, I was able to make important substitutions. I have to pick a line-up, regardless of the system, that also allows me to have options on the bench.”

Milan sit second in the Serie A table, and their rivals Napoli and Inter picked up a spectacular 2-2 draw at San Siro on Sunday.

“It was a really good match; they played well technically. Intensity doesn’t come from running; running is just a component if the ball is moving quickly,” Allegri said.

“Intensity comes from the ball, not from running. Apart from 2022-23, Inter have not finished outside of the top two for the last six years. I think Napoli have missed out on the Champions League just twice in the last 12 years; they’ve done important work.”