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AC Milan’s new coach, Massimiliano Allegri, introduced himself to the fans at the usual press conference.

The era of Massimiliano Allegri at AC Milan is about to begin. The new Rossoneri coach presented himself to the fans and journalists at the customary introductory press conference.

The former Juventus coach will have a very challenging task, that of turning around the fortunes of the Diavolo, after a season on the brink of disaster. Without European competitions, the Rossoneri can focus solely on achieving a position that will allow AC Milan to return to the fields of the Champions League.

AC Milan, Allegri’s first words

“Good morning everyone and welcome back. I am pleased to be here in front of you. Today we start this adventure where we will try to achieve great satisfactions”.

How was your last month?

“Since I arrived, we have started working together with the director and the club. To achieve results, we must be a united block, with responsibilities towards an important club like AC Milan. We share daily dynamics with the management. This morning we had the first training session, this afternoon another one. This fantastic adventure begins: I am very happy and very excited. With great enthusiasm, I have returned to AC Milan”.

Since you left, you have won more than Milan…

“The number 5 is lucky for me, it’s the date my daughter was born, who made me a grandfather of two grandchildren. It’s not that in these 15 years I have won more than Milan. I was fortunate to work for 4 years at Milan with Berlusconi and Galliani, where I had the opportunity to win thanks to the club and the players. Then I went to Juventus, and I take this opportunity to thank them for the 8 years I spent there: the people who supported me and President Agnelli to whom I am attached. That said, I try to put the players in a position to give us important performances. The club must be a united block, it must be supportive, and I am sure it will be. The AC Milan squad is an excellent squad, the club is monitoring all situations and the important thing is to arrive on August 31 in the best conditions. The first six months are important to create the best conditions to reach March, where seasons are decided”.

At the end of the season, would you be satisfied if…

“Not starting by saying at the end, today is the first training session. We start with enthusiasm, passion, a sense of responsibility, to create the conditions so that in March we are in the best position to achieve our goals. The first goal for AC Milan is to return to the Champions League, so by March we must be in those positions”.

What explanations have you given for last season?

“Football is difficult. There is a simple example: I was watching Serie B, Spezia played the playoffs with a different player compared to the team that played the playoffs the previous year. It’s not up to me to say what went wrong last year, I watched the games and enjoyed them a lot: today a new season begins and we need to focus on this. AC Milan last year won a trophy, reached the Coppa Italia final, played excellent individual matches.

I have to take the good from last year: the team’s value is there. It’s up to me to make them perform at their best: we all need to work together, players, the club, and those at Milanello, to achieve the best results. At AC Milan, there must always be the ambition to achieve the maximum and never settle, with great dedication to work. Especially in the league, where it’s not a one-off game, we need to try to travel at a cruising speed. To achieve results, we need to earn a certain number of points, score goals, and concede fewer: goal difference in the Italian league has always made the difference, I was taught this since I was a child”.

How short-muso will your Milan be?

“It’s not a matter of short-muso. We need to start well, trying to return to the Champions League. Everyone must have this goal in mind. And we can only achieve it through hard work. I am very confident”.

Inter, Napoli, Milan, National Team: you were highly desired…

“I chose Milan because I am very fond of it. When Tare and Furlani called me, I immediately met them, I was very excited and in an hour we decided”.

What certainties do we need to start from?

“As for the market, there is Tare who monitors it and we share things every day. The exits, including Theo and Reijnders, have been shared. Today I have 25 players and I am very happy with who I have available. Then things need to be done slowly, the important thing is to work well to be ready for August 17. Maybe no one will talk about it, but for us, it is very important because it is both from within and outside”.

Can you do what Napoli did under Conte?

“What I can say is that when working at Milan, everyone must have the ambition to achieve the best results. So we must work with the ambition to achieve the maximum. Then, if in March we are able to be in the best positions in the league, we will see. But now there is no point in saying ‘We will win the league’… We must instead be very responsible, very concrete”.

Are you going with the 4-3-3 formation?

“Where? (laughs). First, let’s see if we can field 10 players, then we’ll see how”.

Maignan as captain and Leao as vice-captain?

“I saw them this morning. I am very happy that Maignan made the choice to stay, he is one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. The club did well to keep him. Leao is an extraordinary player. Certainly, he will have a great season this year”.

Where do you plan to place Modric?

“We are waiting for him, he will arrive in August. He is an important and extraordinary player. We have Ricci, Modric, Loftus-Cheek who is a very important player who scored 12 goals two years ago, we have Fofana, Bondo, Musah. We have excellent players. In midfield, we will definitely play with the three, depending on the characteristics of each individual, we will put them on the field and above all, I will try to make them perform as best as possible”.

How crucial is the role of Tare, which was not there before?

“As for what happened until a month ago, I cannot say and I do not know. I found a club with clarity in roles, which is the most important thing: it is important that everyone goes in the same direction. This unity that must exist from the ownership to the warehouse workers must be a single block to put the players in the best position to do what they have to do, which is to help us win games”.

Have you met the ownership? What message do you send to the disappointed fans?

“I met them. It was a pleasant lunch, I was very happy. As for the fans, the most important thing we need to do is work well, day after day: the only way to regain the respect of the fans is to work well, with responsibility and professionalism. And try to achieve results, which is the most important thing in football. The fans will need to support us, we will absolutely need them”.

Once you said “Championships are won in the games where you play poorly,” is that why you are looking for an extra attacker? What is your relationship with Vlahovic?

“He is an extraordinary guy, he arrived very young from Fiorentina. I am not a fan of statistics, but there are numbers you cannot escape from. In the last 20 years, there has been only one season where the best defense did not win, Sarri’s year at Juve when they conceded 43 goals. A great team scores between 60 and 80 goals, if you concede 40 you cannot make it to the top 4”.

Where do your convictions about Leao come from?

“I believe in him, I am convinced. He is approaching the age of maturity. Usually, a player has their most important years between 26 and 30. I think he is more responsible, I met him this morning and talked to him. I believe there are all the conditions to do well”.

How has Allegri changed in recent years?

“I have changed a lot, it is normal. Young people are not better or worse than the elderly, in life, it is a matter of experience. In a month, I will be 58 years old, compared to when I started at Aglianese, I am completely different. With the 4 years at Milan and the 8 at Juventus, I was very lucky, they taught me a lot. These two clubs have enriched my baggage of experience that I carry with me and that I still have to interpret: you never stop learning, there is always room for improvement. There is no maintenance: either you get better or you get worse. When you can’t improve anymore, it means you are getting worse”.

Should the word Scudetto become an obligation, an obsession for this team?

“Aiming for the Scudetto is a proclamation that serves more for you to write. Being in a great club like AC Milan, everyone must have the ambition to achieve the maximum, then the players will speak. The league doesn’t lie, you have to be there every day working and every Sunday fighting for three points. But this can only be discussed in March. Until March, we must build for the final months”.

What Zlatan have you found? Have you tried to talk to Theo to convince him to stay?

“I haven’t seen Zlatan yet. As soon as the news was official, we contacted each other, we are happy. He was an extraordinary player, now he has started a career as a director. As Furlani said, he is a consultant for the ownership, he must be an example for all players with his mentality. Theo made a different choice, he is a great player and I wish him the best of luck”.

How much work will be needed on the team’s mentality?

“I cannot judge what happened last year. The sooner we become a team, the sooner we can achieve results. I have seen very willing and attentive guys. Now let’s see today when we start with the ball, which is the most difficult thing. I am very confident, what happened in previous years has been done: I have to take the best from the recent past, there is no need for a revolution. We need to work with order and responsibility. Then Tare from now until August 31 can seize the opportunities the team needs”.

What advice did you give to Thiago Silva? Which teams do you fear for the coming year?

“Thiago Silva called me, we talk occasionally. I thought he would become a director… (laughs). The teams that are always at the top are Napoli, which is the favorite, Inter, Juventus, Atalanta, Roma, Lazio. Getting into the top four is not easy, so it is important to work well”.

What profiles do you expect as full-backs? Do you trust the current center-backs?

“I don’t talk about the market because there is the director, he takes care of it. We have Jimenez who can play as a full-back, Bartesaghi is an interesting young player. The director has time and ways to sort things out. The center-backs are 4 with different characteristics, they have room for improvement. Pavlovic has potential, Tomori and Thiaw as well. Gabbia is an exemplary guy in behavior and manners, I am happy”.

What offers did you have? And a thought on Juventus:

“I can only thank Juventus for the opportunity they gave me. I thank all the people who supported me in my daily work. As for the other offers… The most important offer for me was AC Milan, I am thrilled and happy to be here: AC Milan has a wonderful charm”.

What style of play do you have in mind? Is there someone to play your tricks with free kicks like you did with Vlahovic?

“Fortunately for them, I can’t take shots at goal anymore. That said, when we have the ball, we must attack well and score goals, and when we don’t have it, we must defend well and not concede goals. There are two phases: when you have it, you must score goals, when you don’t have it, you must not concede goals”.

You bring immediate joy, how important is this aspect?

“What we need to do is have fun, with determination, winning. That’s the mix to aim for. We do a wonderful job, but like all jobs, they must be done with great passion, and this leads you to throw your heart over the obstacle. We do a wonderful job, and when we enter Milanello, we must do it with great enthusiasm, remembering how lucky we are”.

Is Leao someone who needs to be tactically harnessed, or blinders on and off he goes?

“No blinders because you can only see from one side. You must have a 360° vision. Leao has extraordinary characteristics, as does Loftus for others, Ricci for others, Tomori for others, Gimenez for others… I must put them in the best position to do their best”.

What was missing for Milan last year?

“I don’t know what was missing for Milan last year because I wasn’t there, talking from the outside is easy and becomes bar chatter. Now a new season begins with new goals, starting with the Coppa Italia on August 17. To provide continuity, we must work daily, very hard. Only in this way can we provide continuity in the league. The one-off, single game is different from the league path. We must be good at understanding this. It needs to be done quickly, the team and those who work with me must understand it. Everyone is important, at the end of the year, we must achieve our goals”.

How do you reach the Champions League final playing poorly? Aren’t you tired of this reputation as someone who plays poorly?

“I’m not tired, it’s fun, it’s all part of the game, I enjoy it a lot and play along. The important thing is the result. If you win, you’re a good guy, if you lose… I always give an example. When Ronaldo scored a bicycle kick in Turin against us, no one remembers the action, just the goal. Football is art, players have it in their feet and in their heads. It’s a team game, and I agree, but if 1 passes to 2, 2 passes to 3, and 3 makes a mistake, then the team game has already ended… That’s why I talk about technique”.

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