Lots of work to do for Rossoneri - Leonardo

Lots of work to do for Rossoneri - Leonardo

AC Milan coach Leonardo admitted his side still have a lot of work to do if they are to be regarded as serious Serie A title challengers this season after they were thrashed 4-0 by Inter Milan.

The Rossoneri made a confident start to the game, but collapsed as soon as Thiago Motta gave Inter the lead after 29 minutes and Leonardo admitted he would have to get back to the drawing board on Monday.

"I saw a good Milan who played on the same level as a great Inter for half an hour, but after they went 1-0 up we struggled to deal with the difficult situation," he said.

"We still need to grow."

As if the crushing defeat was not enough, Leonardo also lost Gennaro Gattuso to a red card which rules him out of the Rossoneri's next game at Livorno in a fortnight.

The Milan captain had already asked to be replaced after suffering an ankle injury early in the game and Leonardo admitted he should have been quicker to react.

"Certainly it is my error not to have substituted him earlier," he said.

"But (Clarence) Seedorf was not ready to come on yet and he also had a block of ice on his calf due to a small muscular problem."

Inter coach Jose Mourinho had consolatory words for his counterpart as he refused to make a big deal out of his side's win.

The Portuguese coach enjoyed a fierce rivalry with Leonardo's predecessor Carlo Ancelotti last season, but his side's victory tonight appeared to bring a more sympathetic side out of the former Chelsea and Porto coach.

"He should not lose faith in himself," he told Sky Sport television.

"The world of football is like this. We have to make choices and if you win, you are fantastic, and if you lose, it's a disaster.

"Last week I was really pathetic and today I am fantastic and the same thing will be said to Leonardo that he was fantastic before and is now pathetic."

Nevertheless, Mourinho was quick to accept that his side were the better team.

"After the first goal, the game was over," he said. "My team won easily."

Mourinho handed Wesley Sneijder his debut just days after he arrived from Real Madrid and the Dutchman's performance has given the Inter coach reason to be optimistic about his side's chances of success this season.

He said: "I have said that we have more potential in this squad because we have exactly the players that I have always wanted.

"My team is more balanced now. To beat our Milan rivals and to have four points from two games is very positive and an excellent foundation to work on."