Allegri asks Milan for more malice

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri has told his team to get nastier if they want to win anything important this season.

Milan missed out on a vital Champions League victory in midweek by conceding a goal four minutes into injury time as Real Madrid snatched a 2-2 draw at the San Siro.

And ahead of Sunday’s trip to Bari, Allegri has told his players to stop being so nice, although Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Oguchi Onyewu seemed to have already got the message on Friday.

The pair were involved in a furious training ground bust-up following a bad tackle by the Sweden forward on the United States defender.

Allegri said a mountain had been made out of a molehill and claimed the pair have kissed and made up but he still wants something extra from his team.

“In the decisive moments in games we need a little more malice and calmness in managing the ball in the final third,” he said at Saturday’s pre-match press conference.

“We’re coming off really tense matches but we have to improve these situations and also other things.

“It will be a difficult game, we’re coming off a great physical and mental effort but we have to try to win tomorrow for the standings, we need to rediscover the victory that has been missing for two games.

“We’re playing a team that plays well and if we don’t show the right concentration, patience and countermeasures we’ll have a lot of problems.

“They’ll play the game of their lives against us but we need to be intelligent, they’re fresh and have had more time to prepare for the game than us.”

Milan have problems in defence as both Thiago Silva and Luca Antonini have been ruled out with injuries.

Allegri said Mario Yepes would come into the back line for his first game of the season with Ignazio Abate keeping his place at right-back.