Massimiliano Allegri Issues ‘Europe’s Best’ Adrien Rabiot Verdict After AC Milan Heroics

Massimiliano Allegri praised Adrien Rabiot as one of Europe’s best – but admitted he can also make him angry.

Adrien Rabiot Praised For Inspiring Milan To Como Win

AC Milan beat Como 3-1 but had to dig deep to emerge with a crucial victory on Thursday night.

The title-chasing Rossoneri got off to a nightmare start, falling behind to Marc-Oliver Kempf’s header after just 10 points, and could have been cut adrift by the half-time whistle.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan made several eye-catching stops to keep Milan in the contest, and they eventually found an equaliser against the run of play through Christopher Nkunku’s penalty.

A superb second-half brace from Adrien Rabiot then completed the turnaround in the second half, sending the visitors just three points behind Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

Rabiot was praised by the Italian press for his goal-scoring heroics, and Allegri equally waxed lyrical, insisting he is currently among the greatest midfielders on the continent.

“He’s one of the best in Europe,” Allegri said, speaking in his post-match press conference. “Sometimes he makes me angry, but when he gets angry he plays on his own.

“But the whole team, [Luka] Modric… they all put themselves at the service of the team.

“They understood that to win, everyone has to give themselves fully. This was a bit missing in the last two games.”

Allegri also clarified the initial confusion around Milan’s first-half penalty. Rafael Leao had stepped up before the head coach intervened on the touchline by requesting Nkunku to take it.

“It’s true he [Leao] wanted to take the penalty, he is a specialist too. But at that moment, I felt that Nkunku should take it,” Allegri added. “I heard half of the crowd in the stands cheering and was afraid he’d missed it.

“But then I saw those on my bench celebrate.”

Cesc Fabregas Admits Defeat ‘Hurts’

Como dominated large periods at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia before being undone by Rabiot’s ruthlessness.

Post-match, crestfallen boss Cesc Fabregas admitted he was not able to deliver his usual team talk.

“We have to work on mentality, as this is a young team,” he said. “Usually I speak to the players right after the final whistle, but I couldn’t do it today.

“What can you say to lads who played like this and lost 3-1? It doesn’t happen often.

“Milan deserve credit for the game they played, bravo Maignan and Rabiot, sometimes you have to just tip your hat and say the individuals won it.

“We had studied Milan and knew a few areas where they could hurt us, and they did it on one of the situations we’d discussed. It hurts, but defeats help you to grow. We have real margin for improvement.”