Mihajlovic demands more personality from Bacca and Adriano
“I think we prepared the match in the right way. We focused our work on defensive actions, but the outcome of our trainings will depend on the personality that we are going to put on the pitch tomorrow. They are very good in pressing, but if we do the same there shouldn’t be any problem.”
As also Riccardo Montolivo declared yesterday, both AC Milan and Napoli have their strengths in the attack: “They have some of the finest European offensive players and I think Gonzalo Higuain is probably the best centre-forward out there – declared Miahjlovic. By the way, we also know that they have some weak points. I now [Maurizio] Sarri very well. I appreciate him, even if he arrived lately on the big stage. He is a friend of mine, I also texted him after their victory against Lazio.”
Despite his forwards have hit at least once in the first six Serie A matches, Mihajlovich is still not utterly satisfied, especially from Bacca and Luis Adriano: “They have done well so far, but I expect more from them. They have potential to make a real difference in each match, more than what they are doing already. I am asking them to have more personality. Balotelli can be a potential watershed too. He is doing well since he joined us. I decide the line-up week by week. We play with two main forwards, so one of them three has always to sit on the bench.
Tomorrow, it will be Balotelli’s turn as the 25 year old is recovering from a minor muscle injury but, according to his manager’s words, he should be available to sit on the bench, at least at the beginning.
Balotelli, Bacca and Luis Adriano are all newcomers at AC Milan. Last summer the club has spent more than € 80 million to satisfy Mihajlovic requests which included also the services of midfielder Andrea Bertolacci and Alessio Romagnoli, a full-back among the best Italian prospects. Nevertheless AC Milan got only nine points in the first six matches, after three victories and just as many defeats.
“When someone does something, it is not guaranteed that he won’t commit any mistake. If I think about previous games, I guess I could have make some different choice, but that’s something I realize just after. I am talking about small details, I don’t think I made earthshaking blunders so far. We are AC Milan and out target must be the top of the table, but we won’t arrive there just because we wear a black and red shirt.”
“We need to be committed and have personality. If we’d always play like in the Milan derby against Inter, than we can expect a Champions League placement at the end of the season, but if we deliver performances like in the first half of Genoa or the second half at Udine [against Udinese], than we won’t go very far.”
