MilanoNews.it
© photo by DANIELE MASCOLO
Carlos Passerinijournalist following Milan for the Corriere della Serahas released an exclusive interview to the microphones of MilanoNews.it focusing on many topics related to the Rossoneri world, between the pitch and the transfer market.
Considering the Maignan situation, does Milan need to buy another goalkeeper as early as January?
“Maignan is worth a centre-forward: if the injury is long, it is right to think about a substitute immediately”.
A couple of names for January: are you convinced by Sportiello? Could Cragno be another interesting option?
“I know that on Sportiello it depends on Atalanta’s requests as they expire in June. They are two very different goalkeepers: Sportiello is more about position and area management, while Cragno is much more explosive. They are both good profiles and, for sure, they are both goalkeepers who need to be tested; the ideal would be to have a goalkeeper ready. When you add up, Sportiello and Cragno are the same. I like them both.”
Did Maignan’s knockout and the other injuries (Origi, Krunic, Messias, Diaz, Ibrahimovic, Florenzi) lower Milan’s Scudetto recovery percentages?
“Yes, it’s obvious that it would have been better to arrive in the second half in another way… There are rivals who arrive in a better way, like Napoli who have many players who leave the World Cup early, unlike Milan. Even last year Milan paid a lot for injuries in the first round, giving a break in the final part, in which, not surprisingly, Milan gave the decisive acceleration.Injuries condition, even if Milan has created a long squad with interchangeable players , but you pay for something… The month of January risks being decisive”.
Not just the Scudetto: a trophy is already being played for in January…
“I fully agree with Pioli’s vision: it is essential to keep winning; Milan have shown that they have learned how to win and it wasn’t easy: the ice broke with the Scudetto, but now we have to continue. The famous fourth place is an excellent placement, but it is not winning.Inter’s season last year was marked by a Scudetto lost due to merits of Milan and demerits of Inter, but the nerazzurri saved the season with the Coppa Italia and the Super cup. Continuing to win allows you to consider positive seasons in which, perhaps, you don’t reach the primary objective which, this year, is the Scudetto. Winning also helps you for the future”.
In this complicated situation, Pioli could – as has already happened – find new cards. First name: De Ketelaere.
“It’s not a tactical question, but simply – it’s simply a way of saying, it’s the most difficult part – psychological; if it were enough to move him 5 meters to the right or left, the question would already be resolved. The problem is one of acclimatization; the boy doesn’t he still codified Italian football and struggled to enter a group that had already run in. He was loaded with ‘excessive’ expectations – I am thinking, for example, in comparison with Kakà – but expectations, when you arrive at Milan as a player from Milan, you have to demonstrate that you don’t have just this label. We have many examples: Tonali was non-existent in the first year, today he is indispensable. De Ketelaere has to follow that type of path, but he’s the one who has to do it. A tactical change can help you, but his problem is one of mental approach”.
Middle name: what do Ibrahimovic expect on his return?
“I expect him for the Champions League. Ibra surprised everyone. It’s logical and legitimate to have questions: he’s a 41-year-old player who was out for 7-8 months, but he amazed us so much that I expect anything. Ibra has such class and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were decisive, in a different way: playing less, the right amount, but staying close to the team mentally. Ibra has already given us too many lessons in this sense.”
Is it the same step that, perhaps, Cristiano Ronaldo should also take? I mean, being champion in another way…
“I struggle to imagine a Ronaldo who, even in 2-3 years, could have this new self-awareness because he has such an overflowing ego that it becomes football selfishness. Ibra has transformed, it wasn’t like this 10 years ago; those who follow Milan know it: Ibra has managed to fill that difference that he has lost over the years by transforming him into something to give to others. His teammates say it: Ibra doesn’t play, but he makes you win. So I struggle to see a similar metamorphosis of Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Ibra on the pitch, in Milan, Giroud often did…
“He needs to be renewed, immediately. There’s no doubt about it. He’s a player who has managed to improve: today he’s as decisive as he was in his Arsenal days, central on the pitch, but maintaining the altruism of a true team man both on and off the pitch; he scores goals and makes them score, he puts himself at the service of the team. From what I understand, Milan have no doubts: they have found a treasure in which not everyone believed. Giroud found America in Milan”.
Is Milan’s 7 million offer for Leao correct?
“Yes. Milan has undertaken, for 3 years now and it will also be with RedBird, a management strategy linked to sustainability; it is not a habit, but a necessity and the reports of the last few days show that some teams have not understood this. I fully embrace the management of Milan.The fan must be happy that this sustainability has led to the restructuring of the Club also on a sporting level: Milan wins the Scudetto also because they have their accounts in order and can look to the future with a newfound enthusiasm. today these two matches cannot be forgotten: on and off the pitch.If you don’t do it, there is no future and the events of these days – I repeat – are proving it.
Milan is doing a lot to keep Leao, they are making a sacrifice: Leao would deservedly become the highest paid in the squad. Trying to live up to the proposals of the Premier Clubs is impossible, but it’s not an excuse, it’s reality; Milan can’t compete with clubs that collect twice as much. Maldini and Massara’s strategy for Leao is correct: focus on motivation, making Leao understand – and he understood this – that Milan is the best place for him at the moment; then, if in a couple of years Milan hadn’t managed to grow at the same speed as Leao maybe Milan will no longer be the best place for him. What Milan offers to Leao is a sort of pact: Milan gives Leao what Leao can give to Milan today. If he goes to Real Madrid today, there is the risk that he will play in the Copa del Rey, while Milan offer him technical guarantees. Unfortunately, the real crux of the negotiation is the fine: those 20 million to be paid are a boulder and a thought on his mind; if we had a fine that is three times the salary earned in a year we would all want someone to help us… Leao has his whole life ahead of him and he needs a team that believes in him, offering him technical guarantees that other clubs cannot give him . The decision is up to him.”
What kind of confidence do you have on the renewal?
“I have confidence, which is the confidence that comes to me from Milan. It’s not blind faith, because everyone knows that the match is long and complicated. I also believe that the experiences of those who went away to zero in recent years (Donnarumma, Kessie) have made a little treasure… It is trust, not optimism, in the fact that Leao tells his teammates that he feels good at Milan and that he understands that Milan is the place where he can grow best. the fine remains. Milan can help up to a certain point, by finding a formula that supports Leao in getting rid of this thought… It’s the real obstacle to the renewal, otherwise the renewal would have already taken place”.
Is there optimism, however, on the renewal of Bennacer?
“With Bennacer, a slightly more optimistic formula can be used, but we are not that close to closing the deal. There are gaps to be bridged. It will still take some time, but I think we can arrive at a square”.
January market: Adli can leave, has Ziyech gone?
“Ziyech won’t arrive: we like the player, but he won’t arrive. I think Adli will stay: Milan’s idea is to give him a little more confidence”.
