Aquilani impressed with Sassuolo 'maturity' in Milan draw
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Sassuolo coach Alberto Aquilani praised his team's maturity after holding AC Milan to a draw in Serie A.
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Attributed to original sourceAlberto Aquilani admits Sassuolo ‘let Milan keep the initiative’ too much, but praised their ‘maturity’ for getting it back on track in a 1-1 draw.
The Neroverdi have become real giant-killers so far this season, as they beat Juventus 3-2 here and held Ruben Amorim’s Rossoneri to a stalemate.
Adrien Rabiot had broken the deadlock with a powerful strike to surprise Arijanet Muric at the near top corner, but Cas Odenthal prodded through a sea of legs to equalise soon after.
Aquilani saw Sassuolo maturity REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – OCTOBER 11: Ruben Amorim Head Coach of AC Milan and Alberto Aquilani Head Coach of US Sassuolo greet each other during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on October 11, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) “I think we started well, but sat a bit too deep, let Milan keep the initiative, and that increased the risks for us pinned into our own area,” Aquilani told Sky Sport Italia.
“The team understood overall what it needed to do, we were at times not as clean in our passing as we have been lately, but overall I am satisfied.
“I could see the energy levels dropping, so with the substitutions I introduced some fresh legs and they did really well.”
When they went behind, it took just five minutes to grab an equaliser from a set play, which is one of Sassuolo’s main strengths.
REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – OCTOBER 11: Cas Odenthal of US Sassuolo 1c during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on October 11, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) “This is the maturity that I saw, understanding the moments of the match, when to step up and when to suffer. That is how we can compete against these big clubs, we will have moments where we’re under pressure, but we can see it through,” continued Aquilani.
“I think we alternated in the first half, at times we were a bit chaotic and didn’t use those passing corridors that opened up, so we could’ve been more organised. If you are organised as a team, the individual qualities will emerge too.”
REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – OCTOBER 11: Darryl Bakola of US Sassuolo competes for the ball with Christian Pulisic of AC Milan during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on October 11, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) Sebastiano Esposito made his senior Italy debut last week in a wider role next to his brother Pio Esposito, but Sassuolo prefer to use him as a centre-forward.
“I see him as more of a Number 9 or 10, so with another striker by his side or a trequartista. I have some strong wingers, so perhaps I prefer other characteristics in those roles, but I believe he can become a great centre-forward,” concluded Aquilani.
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What happened
Sassuolo manager Alberto Aquilani expressed satisfaction with his side's display in their Serie A draw against AC Milan, highlighting the maturity shown by his players against one of the league's title contenders. The result continues Sassuolo's competitive run in the Italian top flight, with the coach framing the point earned as a sign of growth. No goals or specific scoreline are detailed in the available text, but the tone of the remarks suggests Sassuolo delivered a disciplined, hard-fought performance.
Chance analysis
A draw against AC Milan is the kind of result that can define a minnow's season, and Aquilani's public framing of it as a display of maturity signals that Sassuolo are settling into a competitive identity under his management. For Milan, dropping points in a fixture they would be expected to win raises fresh questions about their consistency against sides willing to sit deep and frustrate. The story is more about Sassuolo's trajectory than Milan's stumble, but both narratives feed into the broader Serie A title and mid-table picture.
Sassuolo's draw with Milan reinforces their reputation as a mature, hard-to-beat outfit, while Milan lose ground in their bid to collect routine away points.