GIAMPAOLO: "WE'RE DOING WELL, I'M CONFIDENT"

With the first international break of the season now over, Serie A is back. AC Milan, following on from their home win over Brescia, return to the pitch on Sunday 15 September at 20:45 CEST, when they will face Hellas Verona at the Stadio Bentegodi. The day before the match, with the Rossoneri having just completed the finishing touches in training, Coach Marco Giampaolo spoke in the pre-match press conference at Milanello. Here is everything he had to say in the conference, which was broadcast live on the AC Milan Official App, Facebook and Milan TV:

THE MESSAGE FOR CAFU
"Before anything else, I would like to offer my deepest condolences, from myself but also on behalf of the entire Rossoneri family, to Cafu after the death of his son.”

ABOUT VERONA V MILAN
"I'm not interested in all the talk that Verona’s stadium historically causes problems for AC Milan, I don’t really believe in all that. We have to win, every win helps to build belief and self-confidence no matter who you’re fighting against, but having the right attitude makes the difference. When I look at my team, I’m confident, because I see a motivated group of players. I think very highly of Jurić, he’s a great coach, his side is aggressive and has a clear identity. Tomorrow’s match will require a lot of focus, it will be intense, we’ll have to play well and be good both on the ball and in defence. I have a lot of respect for Verona, my team know what to expect out on the pitch. You should never underestimate any opponent, you never know when a victory or a defeat is just around the corner.”

THE WORK DURING THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK
"I’ve had seven or eight players at training over these past two weeks, they’ve been very professional in their work. We had a lot of players involved with their national teams and they all did well. The team is in a good place, everyone’s enthusiastic and everyone has returned without any problems. I’m working on different things in training, I have a lot of faith and aspirations for this group and I’m sure that we’ll improve more and more over time. I’m really impressed by the attachment, participation and dedication of the players. We have to become more and more of a team. A strong, recognisable and balanced team. I'm working on ideas and behaviour, trying to give a clear mentality and a positive style of play. My motto hasn't changed: keep your head up and play your football.”

THE WHOLE SQUAD
“In the past, I’ve coached players who weren’t particularly valued – especially by the media – and they’ve gone on to become indispensable players for their teams. All of my decisions are made with the growth of the team in mind. In doing so, every player needs to be assessed week after week because otherwise I’d lose credibility. It’s the work done on a daily basis that determines the pecking order. I’m not interested in individuals but AC Milan. Starters and reserves don’t exist. Instead, there are players who play and those who don’t play.”

PIĄTEK
“I’ve been pleased with what I’ve seen from Piątek in the past few days. He shouldn’t just be thinking about the final 20 metres of the pitch, he needs to be a complete player and know how to do everything. We can’t always play direct football, we need to pass the ball too. Krzysztof knows how to play well and needs to do so, then the goals will follow as a consequence of this.”

INDIVIDUALS
Paquetá can play in the middle as a mezzala and a bit further up the field as a trequartista. It depends on whether I have more of a need for a player with the characteristics of an attacker or a midfielder in a certain match. After the first couple of matches I brought Suso somewhat closer to his natural position, but I’m convinced that he can also play as a trequartista. Castillejo is a great player and worker, I’m a big fan of his. I’ve been impressed by Rebić, he’s in good shape and is determined. He can play in many roles in attack. Hernández won’t play, he’s recovered and now needs to get back fighting fit. Rodríguez is a tidy player, while Theo pushes up the pitch more. They’re two excellent players with different characteristics. Duarte is improving, he’s an intelligent and curious lad. He watches the videos that my staff film daily so he can improve. His time will come. Musacchio is strong and a real leader, it’s not easy to make changes in defence.”

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