Spalletti responds to Amorim in assessment of Juventus-Milan: “We should respect him”

Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti has offered his take on Sunday night’s draw, responding to the words of his counterpart Ruben Amorim.

A statement victory was within grasp for Milan, as Alphadjo Cisse came off the bench to score in the 68th minute. However, Federico Gatti equalised in the 92nd minute with a header from a free-kick taken short, ensuring that Juventus-Milan once again finished as a draw.

Both managers will probably feel a tinge of regret about the way things played out. Juve dominated in terms of chances and failed to really test Mike Maignan from good positions, while the Rossoneri had the game right where they wanted it with three minutes to go but didn’t see it out.

After the final whistle, Spalletti spoke in front of the Sky cameras to give his take on a game that was not lacking in late drama. His words were transcribed by MilanNews.

Amorim said Juventus played better than Milan…

“If he says that, he’s a serious person, and we should respect him because he says the right things. We tried to play the game, with an open mind, just like Milan did.

“We need to grow, but that’s the foundation. The intentions of today’s match suggest we can show something more, both in terms of our play and as individuals, especially because we had nine players out today, which is quite a lot.

“So we remained determined, despite the disappointment of conceding a goal, and we managed to equalize. It was all very positive from my point of view. I liked Nico Gonzalez, and Alajbegovic showed he has a future. Let’s keep working.”

Some boos for Kolo Muani…

“I chose to jump on Kolo Muani’s bandwagon and I believe in him. I’ll stay on the bandwagon until the end, and then we’ll evaluate where he’s taken us. You come and we’ll take stock.”

Juventus could have scored more goals today too…

“That’s the correct analysis. It depends a lot on the central striker. Woltemade can give us something because he’s physical, technical, we’ve only just got to know him. He can give us a hand.

“He can play with Kolo Muani, because Woltemade can play underneath while Kolo can play wide. He needs to get some form of fitness because I don’t see him at his best yet, but Kolo Muani will play next time.”