Gattuso reveres Wenger ahead of Europa League clash

Milan host Arsenal on Thursday in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16, with the second leg at the Emirates taking place just a week later.

The visitors go into the game in a shocking vein of form, having lost four games on the bounce, and will look to the Europa League as the only way to attain Champions League football next year, with their Premier League top-four hopes pretty much dead and buried. 'Gunners' boss Arsene Wenger is coming under increasing pressure to stand down as manager, with Arsenal having already lost eight times in 2018.

However, Milan boss showed great respect for the Frenchman in the lead-up to the tie. "Compared to Wenger I'm in the children's team," he stated. "I'm just starting and he's been coaching for 30 years."

"He's won so much in his career, he's been managing the same club for 21-22 years. My path is still very long"

AC Milan's form has been the polar opposite of Arsenal's ever since the appointment of ex-player Gattuso, with the 'Rossoneri' enjoying a revival under the Italian coach. The 40-year-old took over in November, and has presided over a strong period of form for Milan, only suffering three defeats in nineteen games. 

His side are twelve games unbeaten, but Gattuso is nonetheless treating the upcoming Europa game with caution. "The worry is how to stop Arsenal scoring," he said. "When I go to bed I dream of Ozil and Wenger, not about my playing days."

"Arsenal are struggling but they have great champions and they've scored 18 goals in the Europa League. We have huge respect for them, and we need to put in a great performance. Milan haven't played a European match in front of 70,000 people much in recent years. Aside from [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Lucas] Biglia, our team doesn't have much experience in Europe because they're very young."

"In Europe, the matches are much more open, in Italy it's a lot more tactical, we have to pay attention to their qualities. We have our own, but we need quantity and quality and in that respect I'm sure we won't go wrong."