Milan general manager Giorgio Furlani admits the campaign has been ‘insufficient’ and ‘we are all to blame,’ but denies tension between directors or ‘discussion about replacing the coach.’
The clash with Lazio kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT.
It has been a disastrous couple of weeks for the Rossoneri, who were eliminated from the Champions League play-offs by Feyenoord, then lost back-to-back Serie A matches against Torino and Bologna.
This prompted the Milan Ultras to leave the Curva Sud empty for the opening 15 minutes in protest.
“At the start of the season, there were high expectations and every chance of achieving them. We have not done what we wanted to, the verdict so far is insufficient, despite winning the Supercoppa Italiana,” Furlani told DAZN.
“In any case, we must look forward, as we cannot change the past. We must end the season with honour, starting from this evening.”
The club is already under its second coach of the campaign after Paulo Fonseca was sacked on December 30 to bring in Sergio Conceicao, but the same problems seem to keep cropping up.
“When results are so below expectations, there is not just one person responsible. We are all to blame and I too include myself in there as general manager,” added Furlani.
“The disappointment of the fans is shared by us in the squad and the club. We must try to keep going and try to do well for the rest of the season.”
Multiple reports have suggested that Milan are trying to reshuffle their directorial hierarchy for next season by bringing in a director of sport, with Igli Tare and Fabio Paratici emerging as the favourites.
“As I said, we need to improve our sporting results by a lot, so if there are figures we can bring to the club that can help us achieve those results, then we will consider them. As of today, no decision has yet been made on this profile.”
There had been reports over the last few days of a row between Furlani and special advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while coach Sergio Conceicao ranted angrily in his press conference that he felt disrespected by the media over his credentials. What is the atmosphere at Milan?
“We are all disappointed by the performances, but we are also united. It is only with unity that we can emerge from this situation. There is no Furlani-Ibrahimovic controversy, no discussion about replacing the coach. We have to be united and work to finish the season well,” concluded Furlani.
There had been reports that Kyle Walker would return to the starting XI, but he is only on the bench with Joao Felix and Fikayo Tomori, as Christian Pulisic, Alex Jimenez and Matteo Gabbia step in.
