Carlo Ancelotti snapped at journalists that what he does after Milan’s crunch match with Fiorentina is “nobody’s business but my own.”
The Coach is expected to join Chelsea as soon as the Rossoneri secure an automatic qualifying spot for the Champions League, which will be if they avoid defeat by two clear goals in Florence on Sunday.
“My future will be decided over the next few days. We have no meetings on the agenda. Now we will focus on this game, the rest is just chatter,” said Carletto in today’s Press conference.
“What are my plans for next week? That’s nobody’s business but my own. All I can say is that on Tuesday I will be in Bari.
“We need to concentrate on this match, as third place is too important for us to be overlooked. Anything else can only be considered after the final whistle.”
Failure to finish in the top three would be a disaster for Milan, who would be leapfrogged by Fiorentina and forced into the Champions League preliminary round.
Last season they also slipped up in the final weeks and lost out on the competition to the Viola, but Ancelotti sees a different scenario.
“Recent results do not allow us to play this game in a relaxed atmosphere. We have an advantage, but we don’t want to rest on that, as we are intent on victory.
“It is a very different psychological approach from last term, as we do not have problems when facing a crunch match, but rather when taking on a supposedly ‘easier’ encounter.
“We are accustomed to the tension of a Final and I am confident. We’re in good shape.”
Milan have hit a brick wall after a 1-1 home draw with Juventus and back-to-back defeats against Udinese and Roma.
“We are gambling with our Champions League qualification against a strong side in a difficult arena. Alberto Gilardino is a striker of great quality and particularly dangerous in the air, so we must limit Fiorentina’s supply down the flanks.
“We haven’t always been consistent this season and in fact have run on a series of peaks and troughs. At the start we paid for injuries, but now it is above all a psychological issue and our mistaken belief when nine points clear that we had achieved the objective.”
David Beckham has recovered from a sprained ankle to be in the squad, but Alessandro Nesta is a surprise inclusion for the trip to Florence.
It is only the second time the defender has been called up in Serie A this season and he has not made a single appearance, playing only 45 minutes of a friendly with Albania on October 14.
Milan squad: Dida, Kalac, Perucchini; Antonini, Darmian, Favalli, Jankulovski, Maldini, Nesta, Senderos, Zambrotta; Beckham, Flamini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Inzaghi, Kaka, Shevchenko, Ronaldinho, Pato
|