The head coach of AC Milan, Massimiliano Allegri, expressed his satisfaction after the hard-fought victory over Roma in the eleventh round of the Italian league, confirming that the capital team deserved to take the lead at the beginning of the match, but Milan managed to regain its balance and secure the win, noting that the team is still in the phase of gaining self-confidence.

Allegri said: "During the first 35 minutes, Roma fully deserved to take the lead, as we made every possible mistake. The intense pressure imposed by Roma made us unable to play the ball, so we had to retreat Bartisaghi and De Winter further back to create space."

He added: "After scoring the goal, we became more organized in defense and switched to playing with four midfielders. In the second half, we entered with the right mentality and created chances to increase the score, then Roma returned to press, but they did not create any dangerous scoring opportunities."

Allegri continued: "Previously, our problems appeared in the second half, but today we were better with four midfielders, and we succeeded in pressing Roma and exploiting the spaces. The team needs to gain self-confidence, and this is a process that takes time, especially in the atmosphere of San Siro."

The Italian coach pointed out the absence of several influential players, saying: "We missed experienced players like Pulisic, Rabiot, and Tomori, and it was an opportunity to test young players in difficult conditions. Bartisaghi and De Winter struggled at first, but they improved a lot over time, especially Bartisaghi, who delivered a great performance."

Allegri also addressed the new attacking duo consisting of Rafael Leão and Christopher Nkunku, saying: "Leão and Nkunku performed well, and we have players with these characteristics that we should take advantage of. Nkunku is short in stature but good in aerial balls; the most important thing is to get players into the penalty area, and today we did that and created real chances."

Allegri concluded his remarks with a sad tone after the death of his mentor and friend Giovanni Gaglione, saying: "It is a sad day for me; we lost the coach I loved very much after 35 years of friendship. He taught me a lot, and although he was known for his attacking style, I also learned my defensive concepts from him."