Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi believes his players are becoming tense after Sunday's defeat to Atalanta extended their winless run in Serie A to four matches.
German Denis' first-half strike proved the difference at San Siro as Milan lost further ground on those around them also chasing European qualification.
Having taken just two points from their last four league outings, Inzaghi acknowledged the heat is now on the players.
"Our style of football that we had early in the season isn't coming out on to the field anymore and the team is feeling the tension," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"Let’s not forget this team played on a par with Roma and Napoli, so cannot suddenly lose all their talent.
"We need to get back to doing what we did before the Christmas break. Maybe the defeat to Sassuolo at the start of 2015 damaged our confidence.
"We might not be able to play the best football in these circumstances, but we must try to play better than this."
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