Bennacer: Milan need to recover ‘winning spirit’ | OneFootball

Ismael Bennacer believes Milan ‘managed’ their emotions well in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Roma at the San Siro, as he feels they could’ve also ‘conceded’ in a second half that saw the Giallorossi create dangerous chances.

The Algerian midfielder returned to action four months after a serious injury and was ‘happy’ to be back, as he replaced Filippo Terracciano at half time and played the remaining 45 minutes.

Bennacer: Milan managed emotions ‘well’ against Roma but ‘lost continuity’

“I’m very happy to be back on the field, it was important for me because I worked really hard,” Bennacer told reporters at a post-match press conference

“It’s never easy to recover from injuries like this.

“It was a bit of a special match for me, we didn’t lose focus and managed our emotions well. We could have gone ahead, but we could have conceded a goal as well, in the end, we didn’t lose.

“We have to look ahead because there’s an important goal to prepare for in the coming days.

epa11797991 AC Milan’s midfielder Tijjani Rejjnders (C) celebrates with team-mates after scoring the opening goal in the Italian Serie A soccer match AC Milan vs AS Roma at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 29 December 2024. EPA-EFE/ROBERTO BREGANI

The 27-year-old had played his only minutes under coach Paulo Fonseca on the Serie A debut day against Torino and was back in what may have been the last game in charge for the Portuguese manager.

Asked if he has found ‘problems’ in the team, Bennacer conceded they have ‘lost continuity’ and need to recover their ‘winning spirit’.

“I won’t say there are problems within the team,” the midfielder continued.

“We have new players, some of them young, and it’s up to us more experienced players to push the team. We’ve lost some continuity, but we need to find our winning spirit again.

“For this, we just need work, patience, and the will to look forward.”

The Rossoneri have won just two of their last five Serie A games and now sit eighth in the standings.