AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella has insisted that late arrival in Doha can not be an excuse if his team fail to lift the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus on Friday.
The Rossoneri arrived in Doha late after their flight was delayed and they landed 24 hours after the Bianconeri.
Earlier Milan’s chief executive Adriano Galliano had threatened that the San Siro outfit would pullout of the final citing the delay in travelling plans for the Supercoppa Italiana.
However, Montella said that he was not here to give excuses and said that it was all just a misunderstanding which is all cleared out now.
“There was a misunderstanding but the matter is closed now,” he said. “There is no need to return to it.”
“This cannot be used as an alibi. We should have arrived on the 21st, instead we got here on the 22nd.”
“We are enthusiastic about playing such an important match in Doha. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
AC Milan had earlier this year lost to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final but defeated the Turin based side 1-0 in the Serie A.
Montella stressed that much has changed since his teams 0-1 loss to Juventus.
“We have both improved since our last meeting in October. We expect this match to be played at a higher level,” he added.
“We want to control the game and show our qualities, but this will also depend on how our opponents play.”
“Lightness of spirit can be our weapon. We need the right attitude, to play with enthusiasm and the right mentality.”
Montella also called his players to not think of the match as a “burden”.
“This trophy mustn’t be seen as a burden but an opportunity,” he said.
“We have the chance to make a gift to our president [Silvio Berlusconi] and we’ll do everything we can to make this happen.”