(IN THE PHOTO: Inzaghi hands out instructions at the San Siro)
MILAN- The post-match interviews from Milan’s 1-1 draw in the Round 30 Serie A match with Sampdoria on Sunday evening.
FILIPPO INZAGHI (to the Milan Channel)"The only mistake we made was not finishing the first half in the lead. We pinned them back and forced Eto'o to help out in defence. Abate and Cerci did very well down the right. When Eto'o was moved behind the strikers he made that sublime pass, but the team reacted very well and with pride and ended the game strongly. I knew I had Suso as an option and I put him on as soon as I could. Cerci went into the match after a great performance at Palermo and I think that he did well for the 60 minutes he was on. Suso can be an important player for Milan."
GIACOMO BONAVENTURA"We played well, and we probably deserved to win, but unfortunately we didn’t and so we all should have done a little bit more. We created lots of good chances. We will now analyse the match, and we will work harder to do better. We still have to improve, but I am sure that from now until the end of the season we will make it hard for others. We played well in the first half, while in the second we weren’t as organised. Coming up against the third best defence in the league is not easy and towards the end we were a bit tired. Eto'o made a great pass and perhaps we should have been a bit more clinical. We felt the support of the fans that gave us an important hand, despite this difficult moment. Destro took a knock and we shall now see in the coming days how he is. I hope it isn’t anything serious. He’s an important player for us and we need him."
SUSO"My shot was centimeters from going in. It’s a shame it hit the post, but we have to be pleased with the good work from the team. We pinned Sampdoria back in their own half in the second period, but we were unlucky not to score again. The squad is working well, the coach and my team-mates are all very good. We just need a little bit more luck and then the points will come. We must take things one game at a time and then things will start to go better and the points will come as a result. I am better now than when I first arrived. I am happy and I am playing. I want to show the coach that I can be an important player. I am really excited about the derby. It’s a match that we all want to play in. We must train hard this week and collect all 3 points. I want to thank the fans for the respect they are showing me. I want to do my best for this club and I want to help the team get back to the top in Europe and the Champions League."
MARCO VAN GINKEL"My best game? I don’t know. On a personal level it was okay. The attitude was good from the team and also the supporters. After we conceded everyone believed we could recover and we then believed after De Jong’s equaliser. We only have 1 point which is a bit disappointing. Europe is hard but we still believe. The first half was good, we created a lot of chances, myself included. I nearly scored. The second-half was harder, Sampdoria sat deep and looked to break on the counter attack. It was harder once they scored the goal. The reaction from the team was good. Towards the end everybody was a bit tired. We have a day off on Monday and on Tuesday the focus will be on Inter. We have 1 point more than Inter, it’s a very important game, we want to win. Hopefully we can. We still believe in qualifying for Europe. There is a 7 point gap, it’s hard, but it’s possible. We still have to face the likes of Napoli, Genoa, Roma."
FILIPPO INZAGHI (Press Conference)"I agree that we should have finished the first half in the lead. On the right flank we did well in the first half and in fact Mihajlovic had to change his formation to contain us. We should have been more clinical. Sampdoria’s change in formation with Eto'o behind Okaka helped them and they found the opening goal. The team reacted very well and they found an equaliser. Then there was Suso’s effort against the post and we played lots of balls into the box. What happened in January and February is what has kept us distant from our European objective. From the Fiorentina match onwards we’ve started to play like we want. The spirit and the playing style are the right ones. A fault from the match? We should have been more decisive with our final pass and with our finishing in the first half. Put simply we should have been more clinical. This was the fault from the match. 7 points in 3 matches isn’t bad, but while you are chasing, every match is a final and a draw can be interpreted as a slip-up. Nothing is lost until it is mathematically impossible. There are still 24 points available. We have the derby up next and we have to try and win it. We have to keep demonstrating this spirit and I think it is the right one. Cerci did very well against Palermo and also today. On the bench we also have Suso. I accept the verdict from the pitch and I am calm. I wanted 3 points for the fans, but we have to accept the result from the match."