Vincenzo Montella Admits the 4-1 Thrashing From Lazio Was a 'Harsh' Result

Serie A side Lazio eased past AC Milan in the league fixture that ended 4-1 and Rossoneri boss Vincenzo Montella has labelled the scoreline as 'harsh'.

AC Milan started the better side, enjoying plenty of the ball, but Lazio grew into the game and a hat-trick from Ciro Immobile sealed the victory for his side. 

Milan boss Montella, as reported by Sempre Milan, spoke after the game and explains there were many negatives from his point of view and Lazio were clinical in front of goal.

Montella said: "It is an ugly defeat and there are many negative elements that came together."

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He added: "Lazio did very well and were clinical in their finishing. We didn’t have the mental strength to fight back, as everyone wanted to transform the game by themselves and not by working as a unit."

Montella insists that the acquisitions he made in the summer were part to blame, not because of their performance on the field, but because they are still learning to play with each other - and Lazio didn't have this to think about.

He said: "It’s true that right now Lazio are more of a team, inevitably, as they haven’t changed as much as we did this summer. What we learned today is that we are still a way off being complete and in Italian football, you can’t get away with anything."

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He added: "I thought on an individual level that Lucas Biglia and Montolivo had good performances. The issues were elsewhere."

Montella was criticised after the game for his team selection, but speaking after the game he insists that he wouldn't make any changes in the side he fielded - that was the best team he had available to him before kick-off.

He said: "I would field the same players if I had to make the decisions again. In my view, these were the best players for the situation. Patrick Cutrone is in better shape than the other strikers, Jack Bonaventura was coming back from injury, Hakan Çalhanoğlu wasn’t at his best, playing for his country with a knock."

He continued: "Physically, the team is fine, it was a psychological drop-off after the penalty. When your head isn’t on point, the body won’t follow. My players did run a lot, they just didn’t run effectively. It’s a harsh result, but one that will ultimately help us to grow. We lacked aggression, but on a tactical level the differences were minimal."