AC Milan overpowered Bologna at the San Siro stadium on Sunday noon. The players spoke with the press after the match, as they are satisfied with the result but know there is much to work on in the next days ahead of Wednesday
Milan could come out of this match with two motions: happiness of course, but also a feeling of a miss, as they could have beaten the Rossoblu by more than just one goal.
After a nice Champions League performance against Olympique de Marseille, this time’s hero is Clarence Seedorf. The Dutch broke the deadlock late in the 75th minute, but this wonderful solo brought the 3 points.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Alexandre Pato didn’t impress the fans, despite we could have seen Huntelaar is trying to get better and feel part of the team. Also Ignazio Abate got his minutes, in which he played in the full-back role due to his speed.
“I’m happy because I feel the trust of the coach in me," Abate told. "It’s not easy to play in a great team like Milan and therefore I thank him for having this great opportunity. During the week I train with effort to try and put Leonardo in difficulty: I’m here to play my cards and help my team-mates.
“Succeeding to change role is already a characteristic in my favour because it allows me to have more opportunity to play. I must thank Nesta because during the week he helped me a lot and gave me a lot of suggestions to go on the pitch today as a full-back.
"These six years far away from Milanello have been very useful to understand to understand with which spirit I must go on the pitch and now that I’m in a big club I know that I must always be ready when in need," the 22-years-old said.
“Today Milan played a good first half. We started out well, with the right concentration, but we lacked the winning hit in the final 15 metres. Games like the one of today are matches which are not opened up straight away, they become dangerous and tough to manage with the passing of the minutes.”
While Thiago Silva stood with Ronaldinho on the sidelines and Oguchi Onyewu sat on the bench, Kakha Kaladze was given the chance to play alongside Alessandro Nesta. Kaladze just returned from an injury and he’s still not in the best form of him.
“Today’s game is an important win because it arrived following the match of Marseille and after a period in which in the league some controversies had emerged, but today we managed to prove that the team is alive," the Georgian told.
“Personally I’m happy because I spent a very bad period of my life because I had an injury, the operation, I scored two own goals with the national team, but the team was close to me and helped me a lot and this win for me is very important.
"Now I’m fine, I returned to like I was when I used to always play.
"I passed a really difficult period from the psychological point of view because after scoring two own goals with the national team, where I’m the captain, in front of my public, it was a difficult situation, but I must thank everyone for the great support that I received.
“This new Milan is without great players like Kaka, Paolo Maldini, a great man and a great champion, but still has the old guard, players who have been here for eleven years and know the structure of the squad.
"The new elements arrived which have brought their contribution and I must compliment Abate who must continue to do well like today, because he has the characteristics of becoming a great champion.
“Milan have passed a few years of suffering games like the one of today against teams who came to San Siro and closed themselves down, but today the team has proved to have character and in the second half we were doing a great pressing,” Kaladze concluded.
AC Milan defender Massimo Oddo told after the match:
“Seedorf today helped the team. His work is important to hold on to the ball possession. In this team there are a lot of individualities, but it’s not always enough. We have a good group.
"The positive note is that we would have never won a game like this one last year: today we have played a very good game, we have grown a lot in front of a team who defends a lot.
"Ronaldinho? It’s strange that certain rumours on Ronaldinho arrive from Spain in the moment that he now plays in Italy. However he’s fine, but it’s not a very nice period for him because his performance are not up to par.
"Personally I work hard, I try to find the space in the team and I’m available for the team and the coach,” the Italian added.
Clarence Seedorf manages a very good performance for two games now, also against Marseille he performed well. On Sunday, he was the main reason for Milan victory as his goal, is the factor for the three points.
“I’m happy that we managed to take home the three important points. During the game we couldn’t open them up despite a lot of ball possession, but after the goal, the game opened up and we had many chances. We must always believe in our strength to open up games.
"Ronaldinho? He’s not a case, he’s part of the squad, in Italy they try to create useless controvery. With regards to this, you know who was the first one to hug me after the goal? Gattuso..."
AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani, who came out of the stadium during the match said:
“Storari was very good on Mingazzini, even today we had to suffer and then from a header of Portanove which I did not see as I had already gone inside the dressing rooms, Gattuso told me that if I had seen it I would have fallen down. Better like this.
"I believe that Milan had a very good ball possession, it can happen in football that you shoot once in goal and you score. Well done also to Abate.
"There is a lot of talk about our youth sector: at Cagliari against Inter there were Astori, Marzoratti and Matri. Even Abate is one of these, he did very well as a full-back, he seems to me a player who is now in the first 15 which Leonardo has available. Ignazio will be the new Cafu.
"Well done also to Kaladze, I spoke a lot with him, on Friday he came to see me inside the headquarters to tell me that he was fine and was ready to play. He overcame the injury well and now the own goals with the national teams are just a bad memory.
"All very well and then I can reveal you a secret. Thanks to a device they gave me, I started the Champions League music inside the dressing room before the game and at the end of the first half. They’ll think I’m crazy, but all of this will be reapated also against Bari.
"However, returning to the game the team created chances with continuity, if Gattuso in the first half scores, then maybe the game opens up, but then there were also two goal posts.
"Pato and Huntelaar? It wasn’t easy for them, Bologna was closing down the spaces well, Pato will recover and Huntelaar did not have any playable balls. The team follows the coach and this comforts me.
"The goal scoring move is emblematic: Seedorf steals the ball, the action continues and he attacks the space and goes to receive the ball which he deposits himself in goal.
"Leonardo wants this: organization, grit and movement without the ball. Now we go to Udine. We need to look at the first three places. The objective is one of the first three places, I have been repeating it for a long time.”
The Rossoneri coach, Leonardo, is now having some rest ahead of the next match. His still has finally shown the football he wants and that’s a very good thing. After many consecutive losses in pre-season, Milan have two in a row already.
“I don’t know if I shout too much or if I have a fragile voice, but this is my state. Apart the jokes, today I’m very satisfied with the spirit and the behaviour of the entire group. The request was to be organized and we did so.
"We had a very high percentage of ball possession against an organized team. We are acquiring certainties of a game organization which gives us confidence. If we manage to be a team we can do well.
"We must aim on the group, our certainty must be the game. On the bench we had three full-backs. Abate did well n the right hand side, he trained a lot and will be even more incisive with more work.
"The champions league music in the dressing room? All true, the participation of Galliani is important, but there’s also a mental aspect which influences our performances.
"The Champions League charges us up but also the team we face have a different way of interpreting the game. In Europe everyone wants to attack and it’s normal that there are more spaces. In Italy it’s more difficult to play against teams which allow you little or no space.
"Pato? Played against a closed down Bologna side, he did not find space forward. Pato must learn certain movements and follow his instinct.”
The next match of the Rossoneri will be on Wednesday, against Udinese.
By Meytar Zeevi, Rossoneri Blog
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Champions League music? He is CRAZY! But it has worked, so that was brilliant to do…