MILAN – Sinisa Mihajlovic took questions from the media ahead of Saturday’s round 13 Serie A match away at Juventus. The coach was joined by the club skipper Riccardo Montolivo and Ignazio Abate for the press conference.

Opening comments on the big match in Turin: “It’s a prestigious match and it means a lot. It’s a classic fixture in Italian football and we will do our all to honour it. Juventus are on the up, but we will give our best to try and win. It’s a big match versus a great side and a direct rival. We prepare for every match in the best manner possible whether it be versus Juve or any other side. We know our strengths and if we play like we know how we can make it hard for anyone. We’re fully aware of the dangers Juve pose, but we are going there with everything to play for. We have the abilities to match them. I don’t think the result will be decisive- the season ahead is still long.” 

The coach is confident the team can maintain their unbeaten run: “We have picked up 11 points from the past 5 matches and conceded just 3 goals. Only Napoli and Roma have done better. I am certain we can keep this up. Our aim is to finish in the top-three positions come the end of the season. Let’s wait and see however what position we’re in come the half-way point of the season and take it from there.” 

Mihajlovic gave an update on individuals: “We still have to assess the fitness of some of the players. Niang has had another two weeks of training to work on his fitness and is in better shape than before. Apart from Bertolacci and De Jong, we have a full squad available with the exception of the long term absentees Balotelli and Menez. We will see about Bacca. He is back from international duty and did some running yesterday. We will assess his fitness today.“

The world of sport is with France: “What happened in Paris was terrible. We are all shocked and we are all close to the French people. It’s a war, but a strange war. For instance, compared to the war in ex-Yugoslavia, you don’t know who the enemy is. You don’t know what to expect. You go to the stadium or theatre and you are a target. The objective of terrorism is to make us live in terror, but we have to try and live normal lives and not be affected. We have to be brave and not be beaten by the terror. It’s not easy but we can do it.“ 

The coach looked back on the last match: “We all wanted to beat Atalanta, but we can’t win them all. We did what we had worked on and we could have even lost and as I said after the match it was a point earned. I never look for excuses, but we were missing three key players. The ones that came in to replace them did well, but they didn’t have the ability yet to play the full 90 minutes.” 

Mihajlovic praised Juve’s Buffon on 20 years as a professional: “Donnarumma tomorrow will be going up against a legend and he can learn from Buffon. His greatness comes from his professionalism and enthusiasm. He has been the world’s best for the past 20 years. Donnarumma is bright and is talented. I hope he can have the same career as Buffon. Knowing Buffon, he would be happy to have an heir like him. Diego Lopez is a great goalkeeper too and I rate him highly. At the moment he is recovering from injury and we’re waiting for him to come back.” 

Closing comments from the coach: “Tomorrow is a match which will reveal a lot, but I repeat it is not decisive. We will stick with the current formation for the time being and then further down the line we will see. The President Berlusconi is the dean of all presidents seeing as he has won more than anyone else. It’s only right that he congratulates other teams. It’s a sign of sportsmanship. We have to try and play well and receive his praise.” 

Riccardo Montolivo: “Our aim is to keep improving just like we have been doing lately. We were all left disappointed with the Atalanta match. We wanted to give a completely different performance and get a different result. Our team has plenty of quality though and that has been shown in the past few weeks. The match tomorrow is another test for us and the midfield battle will probably be the key to the match.”  

Ignazio Abate: “I am fit and I have been working with the squad for the past week. We have struggled in the past 4 years in Turin, but this year it will be different. We’re in good form and improving. We will have respect for our opponents, but we will try and impose our game and come away with points. The gap between the two teams has been reduced. Juventus lost 3 key players over the summer, but we have to focus on ourselves. We will have a great season and come June I think we will find ourselves in the top-positions in the table. I feel a part of this group. I am an experienced member of the squad who is willing to help others and the coach.”

Philippe Mexes meanwhile chatted to the Corriere dello Sport: “On the terrorist attacks, there is little to say… it is all desperately sad. I have children and I am very concerned. In a world like this, you cannot make plans, you cannot plan for anything. Milan? I am in my fifth year. I have seen some big changes. From the Milan of Nesta, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Ambrosini, Gattuso to the one of today which hasn’t done well and which doesn’t yet have a winning spirit like the one before. While I am not Maldini or Nesta, I have tried to play my part on and off the pitch.”

Riccardo Montolivo to the Turin-based daily Tuttosport: “These matches with Juve are like a derby, they are events that motivate you and cause a special feeling inside and a desire to impress. But the outcome of Juve-Milan won’t be decisive: the season ahead is still long.”

The skipper again, but this time to the Repubblica: “There will always be criticism. Perhaps we are lacking something in terms of determination. But Mihajlovic has improved a lot of areas in which we struggled last season. He has ironed out a lot of our weaknesses: it’s not easy to resolve a lot of things right away, but he has already done a great deal. We made a bad start and we are playing catch up. But in between the two international breaks, the results and performances have started to arrive, with the exception of the Atalanta match. Unfortunately, that is the match stuck in people’s minds. We are going through a positive period and it will be a great match versus Juventus.”

Again Donnarumma, but to the Milanese paper Corriere della Sera: “The best save that I have ever witnessed was the one made by Diego Lopez on Marchisio last season in Turin. Milan? I chose to come here and not Inter partly because my brother played here and partly because I have always been a Milan fan. I always wanted to be a goalkeeper. I started on a pitch near my home and I never had any other dream.”

On Friday and in Tuttosport, Giacomo Bonaventura said the following: “It’s not a decisive match because there is still a long way to go until the end of the season, but having said that, Milan cannot afford to lose these type of matches. We need to win and send a strong sign to the rest of the league: we want to open up a gap between ourselves and Juventus in the table.”

Montolivo also had his thoughts published again in the Italian media on Friday. This time the skipper was speaking to Sky and Il Giornale: “I think that Mihajlovic has done a sterling job in working on and improving upon our weak areas from the past few years. I also played under him 5 years ago at Fiorentina and he has grown since then. He is a lot more complete as a coach and one of the best in Italy. He is the ideal coach for the Milan of today and I believe he has had an excellent impact at the club. It’s not easy to coach at Milan. It’s not easy either to start off from a difficult situation like ours. Balotelli? He takes training and the rules more seriously and is punctual. Now he has to focus on getting better: we’re missing his decisive contributions.”

More from the club captain: “The match with Juve is worth much more than 3 points. A win would give us confidence, belief and that is exactly what we need. The bianconceri have lost three world class players, but as a group, they remain scarily good. They can get back into the title fight. The match with Juve is not a last-chance saloon, but a defeat would complicate matters for the losers. We need to be focused and aggressive like we were versus Lazio. A win in Turin would show this team has what it takes. I hope Cerci plays a key role. He is going through a positive period, but he is yet to find the back of the net. The turning point for me and the team came in the derby. Both the team and I put in a good performance. De Jong? At the moment he is the one that is more penalised. However, we can both play together. Contract renewal? It’s not the priority at the moment but I want to continue here at Milan.”