FILIPPO Inzaghi is convinced suggestions Sinisa Mihajlovic is set to replace him as AC Milan coach is just “bar gossip”.Mihajlovic is hot property at the moment having helped rise Sampdoria to fifth in 2014-15, with Europa League football looking increasingly likely, and he has been constantly rumoured to be in line to be the next Milan coach.
Inzaghi, whose team are chasing the faint hope of a European spot place, shrugged off questions about the trainer potentially succeeding him this summer and revealed whom he models his coaching technique on.
“It makes me smile, it’s all bar gossip,” he told reporters on Saturday. “In my most tough time this season, the first text I received to spur me on was from Mihajlovic. Therefore I’d be happy if he did well in every other game except this one.
“I’m not sure I’d punish players like he did with retreats, but we all have our own way of training. My idol, for example, is Carlo Ancelotti. I didn’t like training retreats as a player and I don’t tend to rely on them now, but at times they can be useful.
“When a club signs a coach like me, they know what they’re getting into – both the good and the bad. If Milan are happy with me then I’ll continue here with great desire and affection. I’d like to repay them for this faith.”
Inzaghi could not disguise his fears that defeat to Sampdoria could see critics questioning if he is the right man for Milan once again, with back-to-back wins having calmed pressure on his position.
“We know this is a really crucial match for us, we have to approach it with a clear mind,” the coach added. “Every game’s decisive for us now and we are well aware that if it goes badly then the usual criticism will erupt again.
“We are very focused and hope for a positive performance. I always said we should have done better regardless of injuries, but it’s also true that recent training sessions have felt totally different.
“We’ve got more competition for places and good results bring confidence too. We have players like Alessio Cerci and Mattia Destro who arrived in January, so they need a little more time to settle into our tactics.”