De Rossi warns Genoa despite ‘advantage’ over Milan: “If we are too cocky”

By: Isak Möller

Daniele De Rossi was in a visibly good mood during his press conference ahead of Genoa-Milan, but reminded everyone that the Rossoblu shouldn’t get too cocky.

Genoa are on a very good run at the moment, having won four of their last five games, and have thus managed to bounce back from what was a tough start to the season. Just in time for the game against Milan, in other words, which is one of their biggest tests yet.

With no European commitment, De Rossi’s side have been working on the training ground since the 2-1 win against Lecce last weekend. A different story compared to Milan, who faced Ferencvaros on Thursday evening and also lost that game.

Speaking to the media at his press conference yesterday, as transcribed by Calciomercato.com, De Rossi shared his thoughts on the game, Genoa’s current form and the quality of Milan’s team. He warned that they cannot afford to get too cocky.

On the game…

“We had a little more time to prepare for the match, which is small advantage over Milan. We pushed a little harder, whereas last week we managed the load. We went a little deeper to analyse what we want to do and what we have done.”

Milan have had some high points, but also some setbacks…

“We looked at Milan from a technical and tactical perspective. I evaluate what I see on the pitch, the players they have. And I think they’re among the top three in the league.

“They are very strong and they will fight until the end. Their morale is improving. The derby leaves a positive aftertaste, even though they had a very difficult match on Thursday.”

On the positive run…

“Our world is a bit crazy. It swings so fast and we have to keep our feet on the ground. This team always trains well. From our point of view, I like to look ahead, but our goal is to play a good match against Milan. But the moment of protest is recent, and we can’t forget it. We still have a long road ahead.”

On ideas for the game…

“If I didn’t have any ideas two days before the match, it would be worrying (smiles). We are evaluating the technical, physical and mental aspects of our opponents. We are evaluating everything. We have to play a serious game.

“We can’t get too carried away. We are a mid-to-lower-table team, the numbers say it. I don’t want to belittle Genoa, but they are a great team. We have to be aggressive and be aware that we are facing a team that will hurt us if we are too cocky.

“Let’s not forget that Milan beat the strongest team in Italy,” he stated.