Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 6y

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso: I'm no guru despite Coppa Italia success

AC Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso refused to take all the plaudits for his side's resurgence after guiding them to the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday.

Milan beat Lazio on penalties to set up a showdown with Juventus on May 9, but Gattuso said it was not all down to him.

"I'm not a great coach," he told RAI television. "I've had to cut my teeth and I've still got to learn a lot.

"A lot's been said over the past 20 days about me being a guru, but I'm not. I've still got to take lots of hits.

"I've never been gifted anything in these years. I've won a league at youth level, had some very difficult experiences abroad -- you don't learn from tactics books, you learn through setbacks.

"So I'm not a guru, it's still very difficult. I feel a lucky man who, at 40, has been given a great opportunity and is taking it. But I have no fear of going back to Gallarate to coach the youngsters next year.

"I like this job. I'm living a dream these days and if I continue, great -- but I want to stay here because this is my home."

Milan are on a 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions, have not conceded a goal in six games and are through to the round-of-16 in the Europa League, where they meet Arsenal.

But Gattuso was quick to praise predecessor Vincenzo Montella.

"Believe me, you've got to give a bit of credit to Montella because the concepts of the way we play, in always going to try to find more space, are his -- I've only modified a few things, but our movements are the same," he said.

"Certainly this has helped me a lot. Now we are getting at our opponents more and we like to get the ball forward and I think some of the credit has got to go to Montella for this.

"We need to get back to being a side who gives emotions to the fans, and I think we're heading that way."

Meanwhile, Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi said he felt his side had done enough to reach the final and highlighted the contribution of Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"Probably over the two games we would have deserved to play the final, but this is football," he told RAI.

"I compliment my team as they gave everything. Of course we're disappointed not to have reached the final after these two games.

"We were up against a great goalkeeper who, over the two legs, has denied us plenty of goals that we could have scored, so honour to Donnarumma."

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