GIAMPAOLO: "WE'LL CONTINUE WITH OUR IDEAS"

The day before AC Milan’s league match against newly-promoted Brescia, our first of the season at San Siro, Coach Giampaolo spoke in a press conference at Milanello. Following the defeat in Udine, the Rossoneri’s next match comes at home in front of their own fans, who will be sure to turn out in great force for their Club’s first home game of the 2019/20 Serie A season. Here’s what our Coach had to say:

THE GAME IN UDINE
"The type of game in Udine was exactly what I expected, that is, a Udinese side who would sit back and wait for us, then try and catch us on the break with 50 yards of green grass ahead of them. However, AC Milan could never play this way, AC Milan are a side who have to play in the opposition half, they have to be able to read situations even when there’s no space. It's not a question of will and desire but rather of knowledge: from the very first day I always said that I would need time to work and to build one collective idea for this team to take on. Different players in the team are still at different stages, but everyone is working very seriously and is strongly committed to the cause. The match in Udine went wrong but not for a lack of desire. Everyone was annoyed by the defeat, but the reaction of the players has been excellent."

THE GOAL CONCEDED
"There was a positioning error at the very base of it which we have already reviewed, for me it was not a problem of centimetres. The opposing player should never have been able to even start with that run."

THE MENTALITY AND THE FANS AT SAN SIRO
"All matches are tough and the fact that we’ll have more than 60,000 fans on our side is a good thing, I just humbly ask the fans to have the right patience. As I said, the team is working well and it's only a matter of time: Milan will not be a team that wait for things to happen, but rather we’ll go out and dictate the game, that should be our mentality. Nothing will change concerning the ideas we have, we’ll continue with the work that we began 50 days ago. We won’t back down on our principles and ideas: in the past we’ve had great games against great teams because there was an open opposition, while we’ve had less success against teams who sit back and wait for us, that's where we need to improve. The players have to enjoy the games and get excited about playing. They're all professionals at the top level, I have zero worries; the indicator of the work is the team’s attitude, and they’re doing things well, I'm happy about that."

BRESCIA
"It's been six years since my experience there and I don't remember much. This Brescia is a good team, I find them very similar to my Sampdoria, because it's an organised team that knows how to do things and makes up for the gap in experience through an extraordinary work ethic as a team. We’ll have to put in a good performance."

INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR ROLES
"Bonaventura is a very strong player but he’s a bit behind on his fitness, he’ll need to have patience. Çalhanoğlu in a playmaker role? For me, a trequartista is a forward who is adaptable and demonstrates a spirit of sacrifice. This is why Suso can play there: he has the characteristics of a striker. I dont think about putting a trequartista in midfield, unless more strength and structure are required in games. The forwards are working well and are great, I need to bring out the best of the players I have in my squad. For those who have come in later, there’s not just the question of integration but also their physical condition. Borini played in Udine because he had trained well right from the first day of camp. He had done well and deserved his spot in the team. AC Milan can’t just focus on having only eleven starters, those who are here need to be able to bring added value to the primary aspect, that is the team."

THE CLUB
"I’ve spoken with the directors about the match in Udine. It will be necessary to study what we did well and what we did poorly in order to make a step up in our work. Let’s not forget that eight lads from the Primavera side when we started training. It’s always the players who get fans excited, they’re the ones who are spoken about. But my way of working is different: a player who arrives needs to join the back of the line and learn concepts, they’ll never be a starter straight away."

TRANSFER MARKET
"When I criticise the the market that closes in September, I don’t just do it because I can. In terms of work, it’s not ideal, but this is not of interest to many. My directors know what to do if the need is there. They watch our training sessions and make assessments, while I train the team to the best of my ability. They will know if we need to do something, there are also other dynamics to take into account. I concentrate on coaching."

WAY OF WORKING
"I’ll continue with my idea of football, I need to establish principles and ways of behaving. I don’t deviate from a path I know I need to take. An objective needs to be set for every training session or there needs to be a purpose that helps us improve. It’s thinking collectively that makes the players stronger. There’s never a lot of time, but I’m going to be the one who goes out there and makes time for myself. I’m not one who skips steps."

The official PUMA match kits for the 2019/20 season are available in the AC Milan Online Store!