Rossoneri Round-up for 20 February: Bakayoko speaks for all Milan fans by say he ‘loves’ Piatek

Tiémoué Bakayoko loves Milan and Krzysztof Piatek, so basically he’s like every single Milan fan in existence.

Bakayoko once again said he wanted to stay in Milan, and talked about how much he loves Piatek and playing for Gennaro Gattuso. He told RMC Sport:

I’m in love with Piatek!

We wanted to make a good impression in the Europa League, but we were eliminated on the last day of the group stage.

It’s a shame. It’s hard to stay behind and watch your opponents on the pitch. My future? We’re waiting for the end of the season.

I’m under contract with Chelsea, but I’m very happy at Milan and I’d like to continue with them.

It was difficult at the start, also because of the language. Today things are going much better, both on the field and in everyday life, and I’m very happy.

He also said that while Gattuso had “strong words for him” earlier in the season, he had improved after speaking with the manager, saying:

At the start I was only played sparingly and I was judged a bit too soon. When I started playing regularly, I was able to improve my performances. That’s what I lacked: continuity.

Learning to receive ball is one aspect of the game you learn when you start playing football. They were words that rung with me, but deep down I knew I would change things.

Bakayoko’s not wrong that he didn’t look very good at first, but the injury to Lucas Biglia forced Milan’s hand, and after a run in the team, Bakayoko has been one of the best Milan players down the stretch. The club really needs to make the deal permanent, especially with Bakayoko making no secret of his desire to leave Chelsea.

On to the links.

AC Milan and Italian Football Links

Fiorentina’s Frederico Chiesa gets kicked a lot, so of course it’s gonna look like he dives. [Viola Nation]

The next 3 and a half months will be the most important stretch for Max Allegri at Juventus. [Black & White & Read All Over]

World Football Links

Toronto FC got off to a nightmare start in the Concacaf Champions League, losing 4-0 on the road to Club Atlético Independiente in Panama. [Waking the Red]

A preview of the Concacaf Champions League. [FMF State of Mind]

An expanded Supercopa de Espana is set to be played outside of Spain. [BBC.com]

West Bromwich Albion beat Queens Park Rangers 3-2 to move on up in the table. [BBC.com]

Liverpool and Bayern Munich played to a 0-0 draw in the Champions League. [BBC.com]

Dwight Gayle & the inconsistency of ‘Deceiving a match official.’ [Through It All Together]