Gabbia: Milan ‘aren’t happy’ with Serie A form, Leao an ‘exceptional talent’ | OneFootball

Milan defender Matteo Gabbia claimed his side would ‘better understand’ where they can get in the standings as they ‘move forward’, admitting the Rossoneri hoped to have ‘more points’ than they racked up after 11 games.

Paulo Fonseca’s side currently sit seventh in Serie A with 18 points, and although they have a game in hand due to their postponed fixture at Bologna, Gabbia stressed they ‘aren’t happy’ with what they’ve done so far.

Matteo Gabbia Italy (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

The centre-back also focused on star Rafael Leao, as he underlined the importance of having the Portuguese forward ‘fully engaged’ in the game and explained how they try to ‘cherish’ him to protect him from external criticism.

Gabbia: Milan’s goals must be ‘high’, we’re ‘proud’ of ‘exceptional’ Leao

“Time is certainly needed, but I don’t think it can be an alibi or an excuse,” Gabbia told Sportmediaset, as quoted by Milan News.

“Obviously, we aren’t happy with the points we have in the league, as some of my teammates and the coach have already said.

“We wanted to have more points in Serie A, but what we’ve done so far can’t be changed. We need to try to approach the upcoming matches with even more focus, strength, and dedication to ensure a promising future.”

The Rossoneri are currently eight points behind leaders Napoli, with five teams in between, which is why Gabbia believes they should simply focus on winning ‘every game’, as much as he urged everyone to set ‘high’ goals for the season.

“Milan deserve to be an ambitious club, and we need to be an ambitious team,” he added.

“As I mentioned earlier, we have many very strong and capable players, so I believe our goals should be set high. A lot of it depends on us. Every time we take the field, our goal is to win every game, and as we move forward, we’ll better understand where we can get.”

Moise Kean and Matteo Gabbia in Fiorentina-Milan (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Milan star Rafael Leao has gone through some troubled moments during this start to the season, particularly regarding his tense relationship with coach Paulo Fonseca, but Gabbia insisted his teammates are ‘very proud’ of what the striker is doing and ‘always stand by him’.

“Having Rafa fully engaged in the game with us definitely makes a difference,” Gabbia noted.

“Of course, every player goes through times that are more or less favourable. Fortunately, Rafa’s good moments are far more frequent than any ups and downs.

“I’m delighted with what he’s been doing. He’s a guy who’s always smiling, working well, and even trying hard on the defensive end.

“So we’re very proud of what he’s doing and always stand by him, even when he faces a bit of criticism or hears unpleasant rumours. We know his worth; he’s an exceptional talent, so we cherish him, knowing he’ll give us a lot in return.”