Gennaro Gattuso Admits He Is 'Counting Who Is Left' as Milan Injuries Pile Up
Following the Europa League draw with Real Betis in Seville, AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso has admitted he is 'counting who is left', as the injuries pile up for his side.
The Rossoneri were already injury-depleted going into Thursday's encounter, but mid-game knocks to Hakan Calhanoglu and Mateo Mussachio marred a creditable 1-1 draw in Spain, with Suso grabbing the visitors' equaliser.
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“It’s good to play well, but there is some bitterness. Our wing-backs were too deep in the first half and never pushed up, so we did better after moving to 3-4-3,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia.
“We were nervous early on and conceded a goal early through our error, but the lads deserve credit because they fought back and showed character to get a result in a difficult arena.
“Once again tomorrow, we’ll have to count to see how many players we actually have left.”
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Milan already have a number of injuries, with Lucas Biglia set to miss four months, as well as Gonzalo Higuain, Mattia Caldara and Giacomo Bonaventura already on the sidelines.
“I have to wait for what the doctor says, as I am a coach and not a doctor. There’s no point thinking about it, we’ll play who we’ve got and will wage battle, as looking for alibis will get us nowhere.
“Musacchio’s injury was a collision, but knowing his temperament, he’ll do everything he can to recover and play this weekend. Calhanoglu had the usual knock to the top of the foot. We’ll see."
Following the bruising trip to Spain, which leaves Milan second in Europa League Group G on seven points, Gattuso admitted their already difficult game at the weekend, against champions Juventus in Serie A, has been made even harder.
He added: “Now we’ve got two and a half hours to fly back and do some work on the plane. Juventus are one of the best sides in Europe, let alone Italy, but we won’t sit here crying into our hankies. We’ll face them and play our football.”
