Sportiello praises Milan for ‘great mentality’ in Juventus draw: 'We had many absences'

AC Milan goalkeeper Marco Sportiello has admitted that he actually felt quite prepared to face Juventus this evening, despite the fact he was called upon last minute.

Milan and Juventus played out a very dull 0-0 draw at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening, in what was far from a great advert for Serie A. That being said, it is a better point for the Rossoneri than their hosts, given that the five-point gap remains intact.

Just moments before the teams were due in the tunnel, news emerged that Maignan would not be starting between the posts and that it would instead be the veteran back-up Sportiello. The Frenchman is believed to have picked up an adductor strain.

Despite the concerns about such a late change, it must be said that the Italian goalkeeper did very well, making some very important stops and helping to marshal a makeshift back four.

Sportiello spoke to Milan TV a few minutes after the full-time whistle to reflect on what was far from an entertaining spectacle but a good night for him personally, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

What was it like being called upon at the last minute?

“You always have to be ready, even if it’s a little more difficult for a goalkeeper but in recent years it’s happened to me often and I’m quite prepared. It was an important match and I’m happy with my performance, which I hadn’t played for a long time, apart from Sassuolo.”

You made four important saves…

“The most difficult was the free-kick because I was expecting the ball to go over the wall. I took a half-step around the centre to recover. It was a difficult ball that bounced in front of me but it was a save I had to make. The others also need to be done.”

What did you think of the defensive performance?

“We have players of absolute value, these are matches that are within their range. There is trust in all the Milan players. We had many absences but there wasn’t this obsession or fear of these disqualifications, we were convinced of our means.”

Is it a good draw?

“Yes, a good point. We played against a team that until a few months ago was competing for the Scudetto. We had several absences but we defended well and played a game with a great mentality.”