Allegri: Milan still have work to do

AC Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri insists his side must maintain their focus if they are to claim their first Serie A title since 2004.

Allegri’s side head to Genoa on Sunday five points clear of second-placed Napoli and seven ahead of bitter rivals Inter Milan, who have a game in hand, and the coach has no doubts it will be a tough road trip for his squad.

“We are all concentrating as we know that tomorrow (Sunday) we’ll be facing an aggressive team, who will try to stop us playing,” Allegri said.

“They’re very good at doing this at home, therefore we should concentrate and put in a good performance from a technical point of view.”

Allegri insisted the form of Milan’s fellow title contenders meant his side could not relax for a second in the run home.

“The championship is starting its most important phase. We know that the championship won’t be ending on Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday,” he said.

“There are still 15 matches and we have to win most of them in order to win the championship. We should be able to keep the balance as we have done so far.”

“We were aware that Inter Milan would be able to compete for the championship, as well as Roma and Napoli, who remains one of the competitors even if they lost against Chievo.”

“We should be focused on what we’re doing without thinking about other teams, since the points we have now are not enough to win the championship.”

And the coach defended out-of-form striker Alexandre Pato, who has endured speculation in recent days over his future at the San Siro.

“I have Pato, I’m happy to have Pato and I want to keep Pato. There are no doubts on this. In the end I think he’ll get back to full fitness and prove to be an important player AC Milan,” he said.