Gennaro Gattuso Claims Defeat to Juventus Was Milan's 'Best Performance of 2019'

Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has claimed his team displayed their best performance of the year during their 2-1 defeat to Juventus on Saturday at the Allianz Stadium.

The former Milan midfielder has admitted however that the mistakes they made ultimately cost his team from obtaining anything from the game, as Moise Kean's late winner for Juventus stretched his team's run without a win in Serie A to four games. 

The Rosseneri had led the match through a first half Krzysztof Piatek strike before a Paulo Dybala penalty levelled the game.

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Gattuso said to Sky Sports Italia (as quoted by Football Italia): “It was our best performance of 2019, we lost it in the final 18-20 minutes not because Juve did well, but because of our mistakes. These things can happen when you play the kind of football we do.

“Juve changed after 20 minutes, tried to create more width, then moved to 4-4-2. Tactically and technically, we had a great game.

“We expected Joao Cancelo and Leonardo Spinazzola as wing-backs, so we couldn’t sit back and let them run at us with that pace. We had to be aggressive and push them back with our full-backs, which we did. We showed courage and I appreciated it.”

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With Milan in the midst of a worrying domestic slump, there have been rumours circulating that Gattuso could be nearing the end of his time in charge of the club, even if he steers them to a top four finish and secures the club with a return to Champions League football.

Gattuso said: “I couldn’t care less what people say. Perhaps the problem is that I won so much with this club as a player and was here for so long that people expect different things from me. I just want to be judged for what I’ve done as a coach.

“The fans see the Gattuso who is all grit and passion, that’s all they remember, and I respect that. I don’t want their love, as I just want the love of my family, but I want to be judged on who I am now and what I am doing in this role.

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“Perhaps the secret to me being so relaxed is that I don’t read the papers, so I don’t know who is praising or criticising me.”