AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri says he is happy to come away with a 1-1 draw from their visit to Cagliari in Serie A on Sunday.
Mario Balotelli's late penalty rescued the Rossoneri a share of the spoils after Victor Ibarbo had put the Sardinians in the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Allegri believes their inexperience cost them all three points in the end against his former club.
"Today we had four players on the pitch that were born in 1992. With a little more experience, we would have not conceded the goal," he said.
"(Stephan) El Shaarawy? He's still a boy of just 20 years and so far has pulled all the strings for us, it is normal for him to have dips (in form). I do not think that there is a compatibility issue with him and Balotelli.
"(Massimo) Ambrosini also played well and I took him off because he was booked and did not want to risk him. (Sulley) Muntari also had a good game despite not playing much recently.
"Now we hope to secure third place. It would be a great achievement for us. The goal is to develop this team, it is gratifying to have rebuilt this team in the space of four months. No-one else is doing it in Europe."
Allegri felt his team gave a good account of themselves in Sardinia despite their failure to secure a victory that would have put them only a single point behind Lazio in third place.
"I think it was an intense match from a competitive point of view. We gave away a goal via a free kick 20 seconds from the end of the first half, but I think it's a good point against a good Cagliari side," he added.
"We wanted to win but certainly a draw is better than losing. Balotelli? His performance was excellent and has already scored three goals despite not being fully match fit, and even Bojan (Krkic) and Robinho are giving their all to the cause.
"We created many chances in the final third and I think the team are going pretty well. Winning today could have shortened (the gap between us and the top three) but there are still a lot of games to play and we have every chance (of making it)."
The 45-year-old's future at San Siro was shrouded in further doubt this week when it was reported that president Silvio Berlusconi told supporters at an election trail that the coach could not understand 'a single f***'.
However, Allegri refused to be drawn in and maintained his only focus lied with ensuring Milan qualify for next season's Champions League.
"I cannot comment on something that I do not feel, I think I've done a decent job since I've been at Milan and I'm happy, I hope to go all the way and achieve the goals we set out," he said.
"I do not think (Berlusconi) is the only president who occasionally says what he thinks."
