Mihajlovic: “It will be equally as hard for Napoli, Romagnoli on the bench, Balotelli has to give his all”

Sinisa Mihajlovic thinks Napoli don’t want to face Milan right now either as he also spoke on the conditions of Alessio Romagnoli, Mario Balotelli and Jeremy Menez among others.

Milan have a big match against Napoli tomorrow and they would like to give Silvio Berlusconi a present as he marked his 30th anniversary as the President of the red and black club yesterday.
Berlusconi put a bit of pressure on Mihajlovic with his (many) statements saying that the club, and himself included, is not yet convinced by the Serbian and half-joked that only by winning all of his remaining matches he’ll be able to reconfirm his place.
“Berlusconi’s words? I also would like to win every match from now until the end of the season but I can’t promise that,” Mihajlovic said. “I can guarantee however that we will go into every match with the goal of winning. The goal is to qualify for Europe, we will see whether it is the elite competition or not.
“As for next season, I have never been worried about what might happen. If both parties are happy, then we shall continue, otherwise we won’t. I do this job with a passion. I am not worried and I am calm. I handle pressure well and if anything, I like it. I always share what the President says.
“Berlusconi’s statements aren’t to be commented upon, but rather, they are to be listened to.” You can read most of Silvio’s words about many different topics from the weekend here and here.

He added: “If the table were to be calculated on our results since the last meeting with Napoli, we would be in third place. There has been consistency in our results and we’ve been doing well. It’s an important match, and like I’ve said, the 2nd half of the season has to be one in which we turn the situation around.
“Napoli will be determined because a win will take them above Juventus and top of the table again. Napoli are a strong side and deserve to be respected, but if we play like we know how, we can make life hard for them. I don’t think Sarri will be looking forward to facing us either. Napoli have always been a top side. The opinions don’t change because of their past two defeats. It will be equally as hard for them as for us.
“These matches are easier to prepare for than ones against mid-table, lower-table teams. It will be a storm and we have to come through it. I have complete faith in my team. There have been a few events away from the pitch this week, but they will not have distracted our focus. We have prepared for this match like we always have done. We have done nothing different. These matches are easier to prepare for from a motivational standpoint. Tactically speaking, we have trained as we always have done.
“Everyone has trained well this week. I am happy with my team and long may it continue, whatever happens tomorrow. Let’s stay on this track and keep in the hunt for third place right the way through to the end of the season. I would love to be a part of this match and mark Higuain, that’d be a great duel.

“Individuals? Luiz Adriano has a slight strain to his thigh muscle, but it should only keep him out a few days. Romagnoli has had the flu for the past two or three days. He is better, but he isn’t yet 100%. He’ll start on the bench. I think everything around Balotelli has been amplified. For this reason, I hope he trains well and does well when he plays, finding the determination from within to try and change everything.
“If Balotelli changes his attitude, he is something else. He has to give his all, as do the rest of his team-mates. A player can be decisive even playing only 5 minutes. I evaluate the players throughout the week, but also in those 5 minutes. Balotelli, Menez and Boateng are all more or less in the same condition.
“When we need to make a change, we will evaluate the best option. Menez probably can’t manage 45 minutes yet, while Balotelli and Boateng could.” Kickoff is 21:00 CET tomorrow at Stadio San Paolo.