Aquilani impressed with Sassuolo ‘maturity’ in Milan draw
REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 11: Alberto Aquilani Head Coach of US Sassuolo prior to during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium - Citta' del Tricolore on October 11, 2026 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
Alberto Aquilani admits Sassuolo ‘let Milan keep the initiative’ too much, but praised their ‘maturity’ for getting it back on track in a 1-1 draw.
The Neroverdi have become real giant-killers so far this season, as they beat Juventus 3-2 here and held Ruben Amorim’s Rossoneri to a stalemate.
Adrien Rabiot had broken the deadlock with a powerful strike to surprise Arijanet Muric at the near top corner, but Cas Odenthal prodded through a sea of legs to equalise soon after.
“I think we started well, but sat a bit too deep, let Milan keep the initiative, and that increased the risks for us pinned into our own area,” Aquilani told Sky Sport Italia.
“The team understood overall what it needed to do, we were at times not as clean in our passing as we have been lately, but overall I am satisfied.
“I could see the energy levels dropping, so with the substitutions I introduced some fresh legs and they did really well.”
When they went behind, it took just five minutes to grab an equaliser from a set play, which is one of Sassuolo’s main strengths.
“This is the maturity that I saw, understanding the moments of the match, when to step up and when to suffer. That is how we can compete against these big clubs, we will have moments where we’re under pressure, but we can see it through,” continued Aquilani.
“I think we alternated in the first half, at times we were a bit chaotic and didn’t use those passing corridors that opened up, so we could’ve been more organised. If you are organised as a team, the individual qualities will emerge too.”
Sebastiano Esposito made his senior Italy debut last week in a wider role next to his brother Pio Esposito, but Sassuolo prefer to use him as a centre-forward.
“I see him as more of a Number 9 or 10, so with another striker by his side or a trequartista. I have some strong wingers, so perhaps I prefer other characteristics in those roles, but I believe he can become a great centre-forward,” concluded Aquilani.
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