AC Milan coach Leonardo blames derby thrashing on Gattuso injury
AC Milan coach Leonardo says Rino Gattuso's injury problems sparked Inter's 4-0 thrashing yesterday.
The game changed when Gattuso picked up an ankle injury, brought down Samuel Eto'o for a penalty and was sent off before half-time, all while he was waiting for a substitution.
Leonardo said: “Gattuso got hurt and had to keep coming off for treatment. It was our free kick and he had to run back and gave away this penalty.
“He was meant to come off, [Clarence] Seedorf wasn't ready, and the delay proved decisive. He is in hospital now for tests and those minutes made all the difference.”
The biggest problem seemed to be psychological, as Milan visibly crumbled once Inter took the lead.
“I think there was a little uncertainty, but also a series of incidents that made it tougher for us. Gattuso was injured and struggled to get back, so the delay in preparing Seedorf due to a calf problem added up and the game changed.
“When a player is injured and gets there after his opponent, these things can happen. It was just one thing after another and it turned into a chain reaction. This penalty would never have happened if Gattuso had been fit.”
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| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juventus | 38 | 23 | 15 | 48 | 84 | |
| Milan | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 41 | 80 |
| Udinese | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 64 |
| Lazio | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 9 | 62 |
| Napoli | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 61 |
| Internazionale | 38 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 58 |
| Roma | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 56 |
| Parma | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 56 |
| Bologna | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | -2 | 51 |
| Chievo | 38 | 12 | 13 | 13 | -10 | 49 |
| Catania | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | -5 | 48 |
| Atalanta | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | -2 | 46 |
| Fiorentina | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | -6 | 46 |
| Siena | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44 | |
| Cagliari | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | -9 | 43 |
| Palermo | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | -10 | 43 |
| Genoa | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | -19 | 42 |
| Lecce | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | -16 | 36 |
| Novara | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | -30 | 32 |
| Cesena | 38 | 4 | 10 | 24 | -36 | 22 |
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Comments (13)
excuses, excuses, excuses.. thats all we hear from leo nowadays.. everyone at milan need to open their eyes.. the team they are fielding are just not good enough. the summer was long, yet the only good player we got is huntelaar, and he didnt even play!!! nor onyewu or roma.. i cant believe it, look at all the 4 keepers we got, all over 30, and somehow, have butter fingers. cut the crap berlusconi. you said milan are capable of winning the trophy. bring your head down from the clouds.. the only reliable players we got are nesta, pirlo, flamini and pato, and one of them is injury-prone.. you say you need a fullback, and go on for de silvestri, but hey! he moved to fiorentina. im like WTF!! im humiliated................................
I Agree Kunle , Is it me or does anyone see most of Ac milans Goals Conceded comes from down the flanks , our full backs stink and if that is the team Milan Is Takin To The Cl I Promise We'll be knocked out And Adriano Galliani Sayin We Want To Concentrate on The Scudetto , Our Team Was Much Stronger Last Year Just For The Uefa Cup Stupse
I didn't see the game so i can't really comment but i think when a team goes down by 4 goals, you really need to blame the whole team including the bench.
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