GIAMPAOLO: "I WANT A COMPETITIVE AC MILAN"

The team was at Milanello a day ahead of Udinese v AC Milan. After the final training session and announcement of the squad, Marco Giampaolo held his first pre-match press conference of the new Serie A season. The Coach has been waiting for this big and much-anticipated opener that will mark his competitive debut as Rossoneri boss and the press conference was shown live on Facebook, the App and Milan TV. The match will kick off at 18:00 CEST tomorrow at the Dacia Arena.

THE START
“I want to see my Milan side, starting from tomorrow. Tomorrow, Milan must be competitive and go out onto the pitch with eleven proper players. Matches also depend on the desire to will and things that go beyond the tactical and technical sides. I believe that the quality of players can help us improve with this step, it’s always the players who make the difference. A great deal of work is behind us, I’m convinced that we’ll see Milan constantly improve over time. The six pre-season friendlies were all different and useful, it’s all part of the development process. The players are following me and we can’t not improve. Tomorrow, the ones who have in the best physical shape and those who best understand the team’s system will play. Perhaps some strong players will miss out but I’m not aware of their condition at the moment.”

THE SEASON
“You can start well or badly, anything can happen in a season. Judgements must be made on what you show. We rely on results, I’m focused on the work and that’s the only thing that can turn us around along with the quality of the players. Being at Milan, I have valuable players. We’ll offer positive criticism. When you’re addicted to your job and working 18 hours a day, you shouldn’t ’t be afraid of anything. Galeone always said that it was better to drown in an ocean than a glass of water. Lots of teams will be competing for the Champions League, Milan included. History demands that Milan believes and goes for it but it won’t be easy.”  

HIS FEELINGS
“It’s a privilege to be at Milan, something that doesn’t happen to many in life. Milan have millions and millions of fans around the world. There’s an extraordinary following and that’s enough to show what Milan means. I spend a good deal of my days at Milanello, I’ve even got the keys and I’m enjoying the moment and it’s still not fully sunk in where I am. It’s a dream for me, a great opportunity for myself and the players. I’m in an extraordinary environment, there’s a great structure to work in. There’s a lot of passion for the team. I have a vision and an idea of where we need to get to and what steps we must take. I need time to work with the players to implement a system without taking steps back, even in difficult moments.”

THE JOB

“The directors were all great players and they understand the dynamics. They’re not lacking in the technical side of things, they know what to do. I’ve brought our work forward as we planned. I might get things wrong sometimes, I complain when players lack passion because I love players with desire, not the unreliable ones.”

INDIVIDUALS
“I was sorry to lose Biglia, he was doing well. I like him as a player and a person. There are also the long-term injuries like Caldara. I hope that Hernández can return shortly, like Reina while we’re reintegrating Bonaventura slowly. Leão and Duarte haven’t trained much but they’ve shown that they’re curious and willing to listen. They’re in the right place, they’re putting the effort in and looking to quickly understand what we ask of them. Suso has always played out wide and everyone sees him as a winger. At the start, even I had some doubts but the player was willing and showed me some very good things. Strong attacking players can play anywhere. I’m happy that he’s stayed but the transfer window is still open and anything can happen. Bennacer wasn’t in bad shape when he arrived, he’d been working at home and could play a role tomorrow. There will be ways of inserting all the others, we need to bring everyone into our project.”

THE NEW PENALTY TAKER
“It’s Piatek. I’m not concerned about Krzysztof, he’s a player with special characteristics. He’s a player better suited to direct play than intricate build-up. Putting another player alongside him could mean he receives less attention from defenders. He’s had different chances to score, the fact that he hasn’t doesn’t change anything. I pay attention to the bigger picture and the attacking performance of the team.”

THE TRANSFER WINDOW
“Do we still lack something? I don’t know because thinking about it sees you burn nervous energy. I focus on what I have. The people at the top know what to do if any opportunities come up. André Silva has been affected a bit by the transfer window but he’s training well, he’s not hanging around waiting. I have faith in his professionalism. For me today, he’s a Milan player and if I need him tomorrow, I will play him. Correa? I don’t know him…”

A reminder that applications for season tickets for the 2019/20 season are still open. You can also buy tickets to AC Milan v Brescia, our first home game in the new Serie A season.