Football
ESPN staff 6y

Gennaro Gattuso admits 'ugly' AC Milan 'are not Brad Pitt'

Gennaro Gattuso is unrepentant about the pragmatic style that his AC Milan side plays, admitting that the Rossoneri are "not Brad Pitt."

The 2006 World Cup winner will take Milan to Udinese on Sunday to face off against former Italy teammate Massimo Oddo in the opposite dugout.

But after an undefeated January, Gattuso is wary of allowing seventh-placed Milan get ahead of themselves.

"We're not Brad Pitt, we're as ugly as me and my beard," Gattuso said in his prematch news conference.

"I shared so much with Massimo Oddo. He's an intelligent and funny guy whose success speaks for him. He got a few slaps in the face from me for his pranks, as we had very different ideas on how to prepare for a game.

"We need an excellent performance tomorrow to get a result. Udinese are physically strong, they force teams back, but also counter very quickly. We mustn't get anything wrong, as at the moment only Napoli and Juventus are on better form."

After spending over £210 million during the summer to to revamp their squad, Milan had a quiet January with no incomings and only Gabriel Paletta leaving the club -- something that Gattuso has no issues with.

"I didn't want any new buys because I firmly believe in this squad. The club asked if I needed anything, but I always said we were fine as we were," Gattuso said.

"I know my ideas and the hard work of my staff. I keep my feet on the ground and try not to read too much that is said about me, because I know there's a long way to go.

"We mustn't forget what people were saying about us only six weeks ago, otherwise we'll regress. We're not Brad Pitt now, we've got to continue being as ugly as me and my beard, with dark circles under our eyes.

"I hear talk of a Champions League place, but we're not even in the Europa League spots now."

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