GIAMPAOLO: "WE NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SUFFER"

A tough away match but one that has to be won. In Genoa, AC Milan need to respond and show that they’re a team at a difficult time. At Milanello, Marco Giampaolo spoke ahead of Genoa v AC Milan and the press conference was shown on the AC Milan Official App in Italian and English and on Facebook and Milan TV in Italian. This is what our Coach had to say.

THE SIDE’S REACTION TO DEFEAT
"Defeats reduce players’ morale, anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. The mistakes that we make have to be analysed, collectively and individually with the players so that we can find solutions that help the team to get over its issues. We’ve done this openly and without hiding. We can think as individuals but we must think as a whole. I feel the responsibility of having to do well, not for myself but for the team. Individual interests don’t count for anything with regard to Milan."

CRITICISM OF MILAN
"At this point, any judgements run the risk of being misleading or wrong. With six points from six games, all the evaluations are negative and everything is seen as black. Even now, balance is needed and I’m very cautious about having definitive judgements. Those inside the group who can sense how the team is doing know that there is an enormous margin for improvement, mentally above all. The battle to be won is a mental one so that things are done in a certain way."

THE COMMENTS FROM REINA AND ROMAGNOLI
"Pepe has international experience, he knows what to say and he’s a leader in the dressing room. His teammates listen to him. He has called on them to come together. At times of difficulty, the first thing a person can do is focus more. Players then have to give their lives for the shirt and not for me. I’ve seen enthusiasm from the players from the first day, in their work and the training methods. That means that the team believes in what it's doing. We need to have the strength to suffer, keep things steady, roll up our sleeves and focus on the details."

THE DEFEATS TO TORINO AND FIORENTINA
"Between the Torino and Fiorentina games, only two days had gone by and perhaps we didn’t recover well and we were obliged to win at San Siro. We can have lots of different reasons to be motivated but we’re working to avoid certain setbacks, balance is important."

THE NEGATIVE SITUATION
"Nobody was expecting this situation but we’re in it now and we have to get out of it. Probably, the motivation comes from the fact that we’ve got something wrong."

PIĄTEK’S FORM
"Milan can’t give up on the most prolific scorer from last season because if he doesn’t score, I can’t do it. He needs to endure it, he might have to spend some time on the bench like against Brescia but we need to have faith in him. The important players need to be in the trenches."

THE CRITICISM
"I'm used to suffering in football, there’s no need to respond or make a spectacle of it. Working hard at this time is the only way to stop it. I'm where I need to be and work is the only way to fix it along with the feeling and connection with the team. I’ll keep doing what I’ve always done, in the good times and the bad as that was what brought me to Milan."

THE SITUATION WITH THE FANS
"I won’t discuss the discontent or protests, the team hasn’t expressed itself as well it should have. We need to take responsibility in the right way and find the composure to play well on the ball. I’m worried about these dynamics. Following the last two defeats, you can’t fail to pay more attention but we also need the right character to play football. There’s no other way."

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