Mihajlovic: 'Milan deserved defeat'

By Football Italia staff

Sinisa Mihajlovic admits Milan “certainly deserved to lose” against Fiorentina. “We were dominated in midfield.”

The Coach spoke to Sky Sport Italia after a 2-0 Serie A opener, in which defender Rodrigo Ely was sent off.

“We certainly deserved to lose and didn’t do what we were supposed to. All the incidents went against us, but we should’ve done a lot better anyway.

“It was an even start with a chance each, then they scored straight after the red card and it became an uphill struggle.

“We reacted better after the break even down to 10 men, but Fiorentina have strong possession anyway, so it’s even tougher a man down.

“The performance certainly wasn’t up to the task, especially where we were dominated in midfield. With 10 men it was harder, but we still should’ve done better.

“There was no service for the forwards, so I can’t really complain about them. We couldn’t keep the ball and gave it away too quickly.

“We prepared during the week and are Milan, so we must always aim to win. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but even if the first 30-35 minutes were balanced enough, we still should’ve done better.

“We were not phenomenons after winning in the Coppa Italia and are not a waste of space now. There is work to be done, I always hope and aim to win, but after defeats you learn from mistakes and change.

“However, one defeat is no reason to throw everything away that we’ve done over the last few months. We have a philosophy of football and are working on it.

“Fiorentina play a false 4-2-3-1, as they swap positions and become 4-3-2-1. There’s a centre-forward and two behind who move around.”

Mihajlovic was asked about the meeting with Mario Balotelli, confirmed by Milan, but shrugged off the question.

“I do not talk about players who are not in my squad. I prefer to discuss the game.”

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