MILAN - This is what Christian Abbiati had to say at the Cimiano Sports Centre earlier:
"It's a small gesture towards these youngsters. I'm from Milan and I'm happy to be here at Cimiano. It's easy for me to come here and it's something that makes these people happy. Before the derby I said that by getting 9 points we would have qualified for the Europa League. After Sunday, we need to win and hope the other results go our way. Recently El Shaarawy has been suffering, but he's well now. It's been a strange season. Bad in the league and good in the Champions League. The change in coach gave us a jolt and we did well before Bergamo. Our focus has to be solely on playing, we're professionals and available to the coach. I've been at Milan for more than 15 years and never said anything. It's not in my character, I'm focused on playing. Sixth place is hardly a suitable objective for Milan, but in the first part of the season we collected 22 points, which is hardly up to Milan's standards. A season out of Europe could help us work better, but I struggle to imagine Milan out of Europe. We've conceded some incredible goals this season. There aren't specific reasons why. I've been at the club for many years and this is one of the worst seasons I've had. There's disappointment about being knocked out of the Champions League. It's a shame."