PIOLI: "LET'S SHOW THAT WE HAVE GROWN"
Press Conference
The Champions League anthem is back. After being drawn in Group E, AC Milan, a top seed, are now ready for a new European adventure. The Rossoneri's opening fixture will be against Salzburg away from home at 21:00 CEST on Tuesday 6 September, and Coach Stefano Pioli and Davide Calabria talked about the clash in a press conference directly from Austria.
THE DERBY
"We set the derby win aside as early as Sunday. Tomorrow’s game is another match in a different competition. We’ll be up against a tricky opponent who didn’t lose at home in the Champions League last season."
OBJECTIVE
"AC Milan’s mission is to show that we’ve grown and we’ve learnt our lesson well. We’re aware of just how important it’d be to start the group stage in a positive manner."
GERRY CARDINALE
"My meeting with Gerry Cardinale was very, very positive. He’s a person with real charisma and passion, and he gave us energy."
THE TEAM
"I’ll make my choices tomorrow morning when we put the finishing touches to our preparations. Today, it seemed like all the lads were feeling good. Our matches will help me make my next decisions."
KRUNIĆ’s CONDITION
"Rade was included in our Champions League squad because we believe he could be available from our next match in the competition."
FC SALZBURG
"We’ve watched all their games, including the friendlies they were involved in. We believe that we’ve prepared well for the game. They move around a lot and play an attacking brand of football with players that possess quality and like to get forward. They can play short or long. They have many promising prospects in their ranks, and we need to face them with respect and determination. In terms of intensity and tempo, FC Salzburg are of a very high standard. We’ve prepared in such a way as to match their tempo and display our qualities out on the pitch. We need to play the game with real enthusiasm, as well as with awareness of our qualities and characteristics."
EXPERIENCE IN THE COMPETITION
"We can’t wait to start. We’ve prepared very well, and it’s a competition we want to be involved in. We’ve worked hard and improved over the months. The Champions League needs to be our home and we’re very much ready for tomorrow."
LAST SEASON
"Last year, we did well in the Champions League in terms of how we performed. Now, we’re a more mature side; we have more minutes under our belts and have played more matches together. The pace and tempo are much higher at this level, but being involved in these games will only do us good. Our experiences against Liverpool and Porto last season taught us a lot, especially with regards to the intensity of this competition. A year later, we’re heading into it with more experience and are ready to improve."
NEW ARRIVALS
"Everyone has come in with the desire to prove their worth on the pitch; they’re eager to learn. Charles is very talented and will be able to provide us with important solutions. I didn’t realise that Divock was so physically strong; he’ll help us during the season."
AC MILAN’S PATH
"We still need time to reach even higher levels; there are teams who are more ready than us to win this competition. We’ll do everything in our power to do as well as we can. We’re AC Milan, and one day we’ll aim to win it again. That’s what I wish for myself and the team; it’s where we want to be."
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