The away match against Cagliari will be useful to give further confirmation after the great things seen against Roma, with Higuain still in search of his first goal in rossonero. Rino Gattuso's Milan is prepared to take on Maran's team in Sardinia, and the Milan manager spoke about the match today with the press.
"We're playing against a difficult team in a difficult pitch. Cagliari is a team that could annoy us a lot, we need to go and improve on the things that we still haven't done in the best of ways. Pavoletti is one of the strongest header players, we need to be very attentive. I don't like compliments very much. For the past ten days, I've only heard compliments after playing a good match. We need to put those aside and play at a high level for 90 minutes. Against Roma we played a great match, but we also risked losing it. Tomorrow I expect a very difficult match and we need to understand when to suffer."
On the two azzurro Donnarumma and Caldara: "Gigio needs to find continuity, I expect a lot from him. I said that he needs to learn from Reina and he needs to continue doing that. He has a great professional behind him and, if he observes him, he can improve a lot. He had a manager that made him grow for many years. This year, something changed with the methodology and he needs to work and listen to as little as possible of what's written about him. Same with Caldara, they're only writing bad things about him and you shouldn't destroy a player like that after a game. The bar of mentality is very high, Mattia comes from a different soccer culture and it's not right to throw him right in the blender. Our club has a lot of confidence in Caldara. He is a great professional. He still needs to work. My staff and I strongly believe in him. My choices are made because we want to play in a certain way and we must be perfect."
And then on Higuain, who's looking for his first goal: "In last week's friendly he seemed like the angriest man in the world. When he's not able to score, he begins to get irritated and this makes you understand that he's a champion. He's a player that is giving a lot and wants the best. He's consistent and this is a sign to the whole group to work hard. Leader? Romagnoli has also grown a lot. Reina is an incredible leader. When someone wants to be a leader, they need to be consistent. A leader needs to be impeccable. They're giving us a great hand. Last year Bonucci gave us a hand and two players arrived this year that are helping a lot. They're the reason we're able to stay well in the locker room and pitch."
On the absence of Cutrone and alternatives to Higuain: "We could also play with a false nine in some cases, I'm not worried. We needed to get help in the market, there was a problem with FPP and we made a choice. Higuain makes us put players on the attacking wings. I'm sorry for Patrick. I hope and believe that it's not a bad injury and that he's healthy for Thursday."
Closing on the central role of Biglia and alternative solutions in the midfield: "Bertolacci or Jose Mauri can both play in Biglia's role, should he need a breather. We are happy with the players we have and we are not thinking about the next transfer market window in January. Bakayoka as a regista? He needs to work, especially when coming from a league completely different from ours. He's working hard."
