Allegri pleased with Milan´s ´sacrifice´ off the ball in Arsenal friendly

Massimiliano Allegri was pleased with AC Milan’s “sacrifice” without the ball during their pre-season friendly against Arsenal.

The Italian side lost 1-0 to the Gunners in Singapore after a second-half strike from Bukayo Saka.

Milan were largely on the back foot, creating just 0.21 expected goals from their three shots in the match.

Allegri, who is back for his second spell as head coach of Milan, was pleased with aspects of their display but also conceded there was a lot of room for improvement.

“It was a good training match against one of the best teams in Europe. I’m happy with what I saw, even if we’re just 15 days into the pre-season preparation,” Allegri told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I saw willingness from the players. We raised our level of sacrifice when we didn’t have the ball.

“We had some open-field chances we should have made better use of. There’s undoubtedly room for improvement, but I’m pleased with what we did.

“When we lose, even if it’s a friendly, I’m never entirely happy, but now it’s important to prepare well for the rest of the season.

“We have to consider that we were up against one of the best sides in Europe. We played on par with them for 60 minutes; that’s no small thing.”

First-half moments

— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 23, 2025

Milan are reportedly close to completing a deal to sign left-back Pervis Estupinan from Brighton.

The Ecuador international is expected to replace Theo Hernandez after the Frenchman left for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Nineteen-year-old Davide Bartesaghi started in the left wing-back position for the Rossoneri against Arsenal.

Allegri added: “He [Estupinan] is an important player, but Bartesaghi put in a good performance against a top-class player like Saka.”