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Milan Star Bonucci Admits Club 'Need to Improve' After Humbling Loss to Lazio

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Leonardo Bonucci has admitted that AC Milan weren't at the races in their humbling 4-1 defeat to Lazio last weekened.

The centre-back was part of Vincenzo Montella's side that was trounced at Stadio Olimpico, and were widely condemned for the manner in which they fell to the loss.

Speaking to Calciomercato two days after the defeat, Bonucci confirmed that the performance had not been good enough and revealed that the loss should give the expensively assembled squad something to think about.

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He said: “This mustn’t change our ambitions, but it should serve as a valuable lesson. We should’ve been a team unit throughout the game, but that penalty made us crumble.

"We need to improve in the details. I think we ought to treat this defeat as a healthy slap in the face for everyone. We didn’t have the conviction that we’d hurt Lazio and so when they scored on their first opportunity, it knocked the wind out of our sails.

"We weren’t phenomenal before this game and we are not disasters after it [Milan currently have six points out of nine]. It’s true we must work to become more of a team unit, to sacrifice ourselves for the whole and always give 100 per cent. In Serie A and Europe, 99 per cent is just not enough."

A hat-trick from Ciro Immobile and a goal from Luis Alberto secured a huge victory for Lazio, and Bonucci went on to add that Milan's defending on the day had been abject as he laid the blame at the feet of himself and his team mates.

He said: “The way I see it, defending begins when the opposition first get the ball, it must be done together with aggression – that is what we’re currently missing. It was utopian to think that we’d be a tested super squad working like clockwork from the first day. We must win back balls with malice.

“We have to improve in many areas, enjoy keeping clean sheets and sacrifice ourselves for the team. That isn’t happening. The exchange with Immobile after the game [they were caught arguing]? Some things happened with Immobile, but they were on the pitch and remain on the pitch.”