AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella congratulated his team after defeating a stubborn SPAL side 2-0 on Wednesday night but called on his players to immediately focus on the upcoming matches at home and abroad.
The Rossoneri mustered plenty of chances in the midweek fixture at the Stadio San Siro even if it took two penalties to overcome the men from Ferrara.
“We played well tonight and it was not easy to break them down,” Montella began. “There are of course areas to work on, but this is a vital win and allows us to build on the last victory against Udinese. Our goals this season are very different to the last season and so I won’t settle.”
Up next for Milan is a trip to Sampdoria where Montella both coached and played, with the ex-Blucerchiati man not expecting an easy time.
“We now travel to Sampdoria and they made it hard for us last season,” the Rossoneri coach continued. “We have come a long way since then. It will be a tough and tricky game as they are an organised team with an excellent coach.
“The fixtures are coming thick and fast and so we have to be ready both physically and mentally. With this in mind, I am not happy with how we ended the game tonight versus SPAL. I felt we could have controlled the situation better.
“We did not need to run as hard at times. It is fuel in the tank that we could have kept stored away for the next games. An experienced side does better in those situations.”
For SPAL boss Leonardo Semplici it was a case of mixed emotions: ‘It is a dream to come and sit in the dug-out at a stadium like San Siro after rising through the lower leagues to the top tier.
“I hope this is only the starting point for me and my players. Now though is the time to start collecting points and looking ahead.
“We conceded two penalties tonight and you simply cannot afford to do that against teams like Milan. We made their job easier. We did have a good chance to equalise after the break through Mattiello but the second penalty knocked the wind out of our sails.
“I am disappointed and we have to wise up as we cannot make these kind of errors at this level. I am confident though that we can make life hard for our opponents this season and battle all the way to preserve our Serie A status.’
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com