AC Milan chief admits hurt after embarrassing loss to Atalanta

AC Milan’s chief football officer Zvonimir Boban has said that he has been hurt after the embarrassing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta. The Rossoneri suffered their worst-ever loss in more than two decades and that sees them 14 points adrift of the Champions League places, heading into the winter break.

Speaking to reporters, Boban said that the Rossoneri simply failed to show up against Atalanta and it was painful to witness the domination from the opponent. He added that the San Siro outfit want to get back to their glory days but that progress will take time with the club still under a cloud.

"The performance wasn't there. It hurts a lot, it was embarrassing, this can't be Milan. It was very painful to see their (Atalanta's) domination. We wanted to be competitive right away. But recreating Berlusconi's Milan in a year or two is impossible. It's not going to be a good Christmas," he was quoted as saying by Sky Italy.

The Rossoneri have already been guilty of breaching the Financial Fair Play regulations and that recently saw them accept a fine and a ban from the 2019/2020 Europa League campaign. Owing to this, they are unable to compete for Champions League qualification through the Europa League and they are entirely dependent on the Serie A to return to the elite competition.

The San Siro outfit have not made the Champions League since the 2013/14 campaign and judging by the recent form, they appear certain to miss out on the top four spots. The Rossoneri are presently 14 points behind fourth-placed AS Roma and they would require a huge turnaround in fortunes in order to achieve their long-lasting ambition. Meanwhile, there have recently been reports that there could be player departures at the turn of the year. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been earmarked as one of the high-profile players, who could head through the exit door.