Mihajlovic defiant over Milan future

Sinisa Mihajlovic brushed away questions about his future at AC Milan after watching the Rossoneri book their place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 victory over Carpi.

Mihajlovic’s position as coach at San Siro has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, with the Serbian having guided his team to just two league victories in the last two months, but his players eased the pressure on their coach somewhat by sealing a last-four place thanks to goals from Carlos Bacca and M’Baye Niang.

Milan will now face either Spezia or Alessandria for a place in the final and Mihajlovic will be expected to ensure his side overcome lower-league opposition and provide some solace to disgruntled supporters.

Asked about his role, he said: “I know that for three months there is this history and there will be until the end of the championship but I do not care. I work hard and I always try to do my best.”

Reflecting on the win over Carpi, which Milan seemed to be achieving at a canter through first-half strikes from Bacca and Niang only for Matteo Mancosu to spark the visitors into life after the break, Mihajlovic said: “The guys really wanted this qualification, this counts.

“We had a great first half where we deserved to make more goals, the victory is deserved.

“My team, as far as physical condition is concerned, is always good and you cannot change in three days [since Milan’s last match].

“Surely we must improve in front of goal. If I think of the last three games between Bologna, Verona and Rome [Milan could have] earned nine points and instead we have only two. We created a lot, we deserved seven to eight points in addition to what we have. We cannot appeal only to bad luck, and it’s our fault if we create [only] a few goals.”

Riccardo Montolivo was the subject of jeers from his own fans at San Siro, which disappointed his coach. 

“What I can say is that Riccardo is an important player, who gives us … personality,” Mihajlovic said.

“Ever since he returned has always done well. I’m sorry when I hear boos for any Milan player. We have to accept it and look through the game to turn boos into cheers.”