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00:00Good morning, everyone. Welcome along to the pre-match press conference on the eve of Inter Milan.
00:06We'll start with Milan TV. Thanks, Nicola. Good morning, coach.
00:09Coach, I wanted to ask you the following.
00:12You know all about the Milan derby in the 2010-11 season.
00:18You began by taking on Rafa Benitez, Leonardo.
00:22You've come up against a number of different Inter coaches as Milan head coach in the derby.
00:27This time around it's Christian Kivu. What sort of derby is it between the two head coaches?
00:32We're there and we'll observe the game.
00:38It'll be a wonderful evening tomorrow night because it's Inter against Milan
00:44and there's a historic rivalry between the two sides for the city of Milan.
00:50So it'll be a wonderful evening.
00:52Let's say I started well in 2010. I think we won three in a row.
00:56Then we drew and then we lost four on the spin.
00:59So it'll be a wonderful evening tomorrow, no doubt.
01:03Let's hope it's also a very entertaining game technically.
01:07We're up against a very strong side along with Napoli.
01:12Inter are the favourites for the Scudetto in the last 12 games.
01:15They've won 11. They've scored 28 and conceded seven.
01:21So they have a huge potential in the final third.
01:24They're an experienced side in the middle of the park with some players that are both technical and physical.
01:30But as we've always said, the form that goes out of the window when it comes to the derby,
01:38we need to make sure we do a very good job technically.
01:42And above all, we need to be very switched on in terms of what we are lacking at Palma,
01:49above all the first portion of the second half.
01:51Sky, Gaffer, before the Udinese game, you said that that was a crucial match.
02:00Could we include that in the matches which are important, not important, crucial or not crucial?
02:08I'm sure you'll have read about the death of Benoni.
02:17Was there a song that you liked?
02:22No, she was a wonderful woman. She was ironic, sarcastic, based on what I could see on television.
02:31So we're very disappointed because, of course, it happened on the eve of the derby.
02:37She's a Milan fan, even though recently I read that she was a big fan of Bonni.
02:45No, no, it's not a crucial game tomorrow night. It's not a turning point fixture.
02:52Tomorrow is the start of the period where we need to take us up until March and the March international break.
03:00We hope that Italy qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
03:03We need to be in the best possible league position because after the March international break,
03:07you have the last two months of the season where the final league positions are decided.
03:13In the midst of these three months in the league, we have our Coppa Italia fixtures and the Super Cup games as well.
03:24So as things stand, we'll definitely have 20 matches between now and March.
03:29If we do a good job, they can become 22.
03:32That would mean that we would be involved in the – if we beat Lazio away, we'd get into the quarterfinals
03:44and we'd also be in the final in Riyadh as the Super Cup as well.
03:47But in order to do so, we need to work well, as we have done so thus far in Iraq's frame of mind.
03:53Almost everyone has come back from international duty over the last few days.
03:58And we've had a good week of work because in the last month some of the players have been injured,
04:05so we haven't been able to necessarily train as we would have liked.
04:08But we've had almost everyone back working this week.
04:11Hi, coach. I'd like to come back to what you were saying given that the form book goes out of the window
04:20and the fact that you switched off at Parma above all in the final minute of the first half
04:25and that's where the game changed.
04:27But this team has never had any issues in terms of concentration in the big games.
04:34It's been in different fixtures to the one that you'll face tomorrow.
04:37Are you a bit more confident about that?
04:39Yes, the form book goes out of the window, but you have performed well in the big matches that might give you some confidence.
04:45No, I am confident regardless of what came to pass at Parma and what's happened in the big matches.
04:50We know that tomorrow's game is a very tough match because we're against the top side.
04:55We're working to try and be involved in fixtures such as these,
05:01because it's the biggest matches which give you so much adrenaline
05:06and they give you so much excitement when you're building up to them.
05:10And tomorrow night's game is one of those, so we need to prepare as best we can
05:13and come full time we'll see whether we've done a good job
05:16and if we've got the rub of the green and we can get a result
05:18or whether the opposition have done a better job than us.
05:20Rai.
05:22Hi Max.
05:23Two things.
05:25First, if Inter win the derby, they pull clear.
05:31If Milan win the derby, they leapfrog Inter.
05:34So it's an unusual derby.
05:36The second thing is in terms of what Rino Gattuso has said for the national team,
05:41you know, what can we do in terms of stopping Serie A to help the national team?
05:45If Serie A stops, then we won't play and we'll help out the national team.
05:52But I think the national team have a good chance of making it to the 2026 World Cup.
05:56Rino is doing a good job and it's only natural.
06:02And I think they knew that ultimately Italy would go into the playoffs.
06:07So they've got a lot of time to prepare for it as best they can.
06:10As for whether Serie A comes to a pause or not, we will, of course, stop.
06:15And that would be an advantage for the national team.
06:17And if Inter or Milan win, there's still a long league season.
06:23In one week, with two league games available, which are six points,
06:30the league table can change in the blink of an eye.
06:33So we need to be focused on what our final goal is, namely being in the top four come the 25th of May.
06:40Hi, Max. Beppe Marotta spoke the other day and he spoke about you
06:49and he said that you were very concrete and clinical.
06:54I'd like to ask you two adjectives to describe the Nehra Zuri president.
06:59And over your long career, I know that Marotta really rates you highly.
07:07Have you ever come close to signing for Inter?
07:10Everyone knows that.
07:11It's the year that I went to Juventus.
07:13That year, I had to make a decision.
07:16Either go to Real Madrid, go back to Juventus or go to Inter.
07:20Very simple.
07:24As for the president, because I'm used to calling him the director,
07:31but we worked very well together and the entire staff were able to get a lot of success.
07:37And he's doing a terrific job at Inter as well.
07:40So a couple of adjectives for him.
07:43Let's say, I don't know, ultimately what matters is winning matches.
07:54In order to win matches, you need to be pragmatic and very solid,
07:59regardless of playing football well as well.
08:03Hi, Max.
08:05I've looked at the betting odds and almost everyone is paying out Inter's victory at 1.92,
08:14whereas Milan win is 4.4.2.
08:18So Inter are big favourites for this match.
08:21I'm a little bit shocked by that, to be honest.
08:23Are Milan really such big underdogs in tomorrow's derby?
08:27You always start at nil-nil.
08:34Inter are a good side.
08:38They're on a terrific run in terms of the way they're playing, their fitness levels, but so too are we.
08:45You need to play games as best you can.
08:47We're aware of the ability that Inter possess because they're very strong physically, technically.
08:52They've got players that can shoot.
08:54They've got options inside the penalty area.
08:56I've looked at some of the numbers into our top in terms of shots on goal in Serie A.
09:06And they're also the team that concede the fewer shots as well.
09:10So we need to produce a big performance.
09:13When you're involved in big games, you need to be very switched on because it comes down to fine margins.
09:17Gazzetta dello Sport.
09:19Hi.
09:20Two quick things.
09:22First, with Rafa Leao's return since he came back from injury to the calf, you've been very cautious with him.
09:34You had him on the bench for the first two games and you had him come off the bench after that.
09:39Rabiot has had an injury to the same muscle.
09:42Do you think you'll be cautious?
09:43No.
09:44Perfect.
09:45Second question.
09:46Have you figured out the difference between the team's performance in the games against sides that are competing for the upper reaches of the table, either the Scudetto or Champions League qualification, and those that are simply trying to stay in the division?
10:12You've done a really good job against the teams up near the top and a lot less well against
10:16the other sides.
10:17Is there a psychological factor to that?
10:20Does it come down to approach or is it just a coincidence?
10:23It's hard to explain because there are some years where you do a really good job in those
10:33six-pointers and you struggle a bit more against the smaller sides.
10:37That's the way things have gone thus far this season.
10:40But the Cremonese game was a game where we conceded little to nothing against Pisa.
10:46We took the lead and we didn't have the strength to kill off the game when Pisa was struggling.
10:52At Parma we were on the right track but then one big moment changed the game and in the first 20 minutes of the second half, especially from throw-ins, we were in danger of conceding a goal.
11:09So those are things we need to improve but we need to think about tomorrow night's game because you can't change the past.
11:15The points we've got, those we deserve to have in the table.
11:18So tomorrow we need to produce a good performance and it is a very exciting game.
11:23We need to be ready but above all we need to be delighted to be involved in this match both for the players and me in the dugout and the supporters at the stadium.
11:35Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful evening sport.
11:38Franco Ordine.
11:40Franco Ordine.
11:41Hi.
11:42Based on the rumours coming out of Appiano Gentile and also from the Interisti and the national team, they're talking about huge determination because they want to erase the five derbies in which they weren't able to win not even one of them last season.
12:06In light of the fact that, as we saw at Parma, when there's a bit of a storm, Milan tend to struggle, do you think the players have learned the lesson from the Tardini or do you run the same risk of what happened at Parma or in the first few minutes against Roma?
12:31We made a lot of technical mistakes in the early minutes against Roma.
12:35Against Parma, yes it's true, but against Napoli when we went down to ten men we dug in and battled and we didn't switch off.
12:45They're different situations.
12:49The only thing we need to do is to try and improve these situations in the game itself.
12:54We need to be switched on for the 95 minutes.
12:56As to where the Inter produce a performance to take her maximum points, that's what we'll try and do as well.
13:03It's only natural.
13:04We know they're up against a top team.
13:06We've got a lot of respect for them.
13:07As I've said, they are the favourites for Serie A, but Inter have been competing to win the Scudetto for the last five years now.
13:15Hi, coach.
13:16Tomorrow's the 23rd of November and it's crazy, but it's almost the first time that you'll have Liao and Pulisic available from the first whistle in Serie A.
13:31What do you expect from this pairing? What can they offer you?
13:35Neither of them is an out-and-out goal scorer, but they're two quality players, aren't they?
13:38What do I expect?
13:39What do I expect from them, just like I expect from everyone else that start the game tomorrow and those that are on the bench with me?
13:48Tomorrow the players unavailable are Zachary Atacame because he has a calf issue on return from international duty
13:58and Jimenez has an ankle problem. Everyone else is better. They've improved their fitness levels and that's something positive,
14:05both for tomorrow's game, but above all, as I said, for the period that we're about to approach between now and March.
14:15Often, to simplify, people say that the inter side under Kivu is more vertical than Inzaghi. Do you agree with that?
14:28Or is there a difference that you've noticed that really jumps out at you?
14:33No, in terms of the players' characteristics, it's pretty similar. They have brought in some new faces, but ultimately the spine is pretty similar.
14:41Kivu is doing an excellent job. Because given it's his first time in charge of a big team, given he was only in charge of Parma for 10 or 12 games,
14:55he's doing an excellent job. Above all, you can notice that there's a lot of togetherness in the squad when they play matches.
15:04Differences with Inzaghi, I don't think there's a big difference, to be honest, because ultimately it's pretty much the same personnel.
15:17Pietro Mazzara. Hi, coach. I'd like to come back to the question that Federico has just asked you.
15:26Inter under Kivu, compared with recent years, have pressed very high, whereas Milan tend to defend very well, out of possession.
15:36Out of possession. And you have players like Liao, Pulisic, Salamac, Rabiot, that can ultimately be match winners.
15:47Is that the key to this game, you know, maybe winning those individual battles?
15:52When you win the individual battles, you've got much bigger chances of winning the game, because that's an important statistic with regards to the ultimate result.
16:01I don't think we won too many individual battles at Parma. We drew the game and we even risked losing the match at the Tardini.
16:07So tomorrow, I think it will be, technically, tactically and above all physically, an excellent match in terms of its quality.
16:18So we need to make sure that we produce a big performance with a lot of enthusiasm, with that desire to get a good result, above all to make progress once again in the league table
16:28and also to improve our unbeaten run, increase it, which began after our defeat at Cremonese.
16:37La Repubblica.
16:40I wanted to ask you, Inter are a very strong side, you've also stressed that.
16:47What have you said this week to your players?
16:51Have you pinpointed any weaknesses in the inter-side and above all, what are you most wary of with regards to Kibu's side, how vertical they are, or maybe how prolific their strikers are?
17:05Have you given some specific pointers to your players in terms of how to keep them quiet?
17:11I'll have one final training session today. No, actually tomorrow morning. Between now and tomorrow morning, I will make sure I figure out the last details. I hope to do a good job on that.
17:25But that's a feature of Inter's play, but even in recent seasons, Inter have players that shoot well from distance.
17:33They're very physical as well. I don't know, I heard that Mabel Denzel Dumfries is missing, but Dumfries, physically, is a real presence in the opposition box.
17:44He's an important solution for them. Similarly, when they have space on the counter, they do a very good job, because they're very neat and tidy technically at pace.
17:56So we need to produce a big performance to lay the ground to get a result. But football's brutal. But either way, we need to be ready to produce a good performance, and then we'll see what the result is at the end.
18:10ESPN?
18:11Two things, coach. First, they say that statistics are like Vikings.
18:25Because they show quite a lot. They insinuate a great deal, but they hide the essential. That's what I'd like to ask you.
18:40Santi Jimenez won't be involved in the match, as you've already announced. I look at the statistics, and I look that, clearly, the statistics, you know, aren't helping him at the moment.
18:53But he's playing a long way from the opposition goal. But besides statistics, how much of an impact can Santi Jimenez have in your Milan side?
19:05No. He could have a big influence, because he's an important player. He's got a good goal-scoring ability. He's scored a lot of goals before signing for Milan. Lest we forget, it's not easy to come into a new league mid-season, because Jimenez joined in January.
19:20And I don't remember whether he arrived on the 1st of January or the 31st of January, the end of January, so February, March and April, three months.
19:29You don't speak the language. You don't speak the language. You need to get used to a new style of play in a difficult situation. And it wasn't easy for him either.
19:38When he came back this summer, after the international break on the 5th of August, he came back looking good. He produced some good performances.
19:50Now he's got his ankle injury, but he's an important player. He's a player that's scored goals, and he will score goals in the future. And things can change in the blink of an eye in football.
20:02And I'm sure when he comes back, he'll do well.
20:09Now let's talk about Lautaro Martinez. Lautaro has a big influence in the derby. What do you make of Lautaro at this moment in time?
20:17Lautaro is one of the best strikers around, not only in Italy, but in Europe and the world as well.
20:26He's a player who's now mature in terms of his age, and he can decide certain matches.
20:35He's a player that runs well in behind. Above all, he's very dangerous inside the opposition box. So you need to keep an eye on him.
20:42We need to keep an eye on him, Turam, Boni, Esposito as well.
20:47Milan, Inter have got a lot of good strikers. They're a top side. We don't need to say that this morning.
20:51So we need to produce a good performance.
20:53Sport Italia.
20:54Good afternoon, coach.
20:58The only question mark that we journalists have is on the left-hand side between Partizaghi and Estupignan.
21:06Have you already made a decision on that?
21:08You might not tell us who, but you might tell us if you made a decision.
21:12And would you be influenced by the absence or not of Denzel Dumfries?
21:17No, it doesn't influence me in terms of who I'll pick. I need to assess things today. Estupignan came back at Parma after 50 days where he's out of action.
21:29He played two games for the under-21 side, 90 minutes for each. He had a good training session yesterday.
21:34Between today and tomorrow morning I'll decide, but it's a long game and we might need both of them.
21:40Telen Lombardia.
21:41Telen Lombardia.
21:42Telen Lombardia.
21:43Telen Lombardia.
21:53are, regardless of the three points and what you can say, think about the next game, it's
21:58a long process. But winning the derby, what would that mean? It would mean having a great
22:04week. When you win matches, results change your mood for the next week, at work, at home.
22:14So I always say to the players, let's try and get a result so that then we can have
22:18a nice few days following much. There are still issues with the curva and banners, etc. How
22:34important is it that there is a very strong presence of Milan chance supporting the team?
22:41How much have Milan been helped by the return of the curva? It's helped a great deal and
22:46we need them because tomorrow we're away from home. But when we're back at home at San
22:51Siro, next Saturday against Lazio, the stadium will help us a great deal. Above all, at times
22:58when the match becomes difficult and it also gives strength to the players. Calciomercato.com
23:04Hi coach. You will have no doubt exhaustively prepared the game. We know all about your
23:13experience, but you always say that in matches like this, often the quality of players is
23:18what determines games such as these. In your first derby, you won thanks to a piece of skill
23:25from Ibrahimovic, who I think yesterday came to Milanello. Did he say anything to the team?
23:31Did you speak to him? And given that Liao is the player with the best of quality in this
23:38side, are you going to ask him to do an Ibra and ultimately decide the match? As for Rafa
23:43Leao, I think he's gradually realizing that as a striker, he's going to be judged on the
23:51number of goals he scores. And that's already a sign of Rafa's maturity. Ibra came to Milanello,
23:57we had a chat. Every now and then he comes to the training ground, just as when Iglitare
24:05comes. The club is always behind us and that's very important. I think we need to have the
24:10right tension ahead of tomorrow's game, but we mustn't have a fear of playing a game like
24:18this one. In fact, as I've said, you need to have a lot of adrenaline coursing through
24:25your veins, excitement. And above all, you need to enjoy playing matches such as these.
24:32It's the most enjoyable thing and it's what we work for.
24:35Gioia. Hi, coach. This summer, Thiago Silva said that he called you to ask some advice on
24:43how to beat Inter and then he beat Inter. So I wondered whether you returned the favour
24:49and asked Thiago Silva some advice on how to beat Inter. And would you like to coach the
24:57Brazilian in the future here at Milanello? I had two wonderful years with Thiago. He's
25:02an incredible footballer. And he's still playing, even at a good level. As for the January transfer
25:08window, the club are here and we need to stay focused on matches that will begin tomorrow
25:15night at 8.45 and go on until March. We'll take them one game at a time because you can't
25:21approach them more than one at a time, of course. You take them one game at a time because you
25:27can't approach more than one, one and then the second and so on and so forth. No, I haven't
25:35phone Thiago. No, Thiago's still not a coach. He's still a player. Milan Vibes. Milan Vibes.
25:43You confirmed that Adrian Rabiot is going to start the game. I wanted to ask you how important
25:49is he and in what is he important for your team and can he also help to bring the best
25:55out of Fofana? Fofana has produced some good performances. He's a player, as I've said to
26:04him, and as I keep saying, he's a player with huge potential, both offensively and defensively.
26:13He needs to stay a little bit more switched on in certain situations. As for Adrian, as
26:18said, until now, I don't know what will come to pass, but until now, I think Adrian has
26:26looked a lot better than I had him for the last two years because he's improved even more.
26:35I think he's really matured now. He's a hugely important player in the middle of the park.
26:42Milanista channel. Hi, coach. I wanted to ask you whether it might be the derby of the left
26:51and right centre-backs, even though it's a different game to the Roma game, but Alessandro
26:56Bastoni does what Mancini does with Roma. We saw that Gianluca Mancini gets into the box
27:04a great deal. Roma lost the ball, Pavlovich broke forward, and Milan scored. This season,
27:11with regards to statistics, noticed one thing. Until last season, Bastoni was the leading
27:20centre-defender in terms of carrying the ball forward, both on and off the ball. This season,
27:25it's Pavlovich. He's top in Serie A and he's second in the top five European leagues. So, in
27:33the derby of these centre-backs, how much is Pavlovich improving in terms of doing what
27:39Bastoni has always done really well? Pavlovich is improving a great deal because he's playing
27:45football and the more you play, the more you improve and get better. That characteristic
27:52to break forward is something he's always had because he's someone who's very aggressive
27:56and when he does step out, he continues also in the attacking sense. He also needs to keep
28:02improving when in terms of staying switched on in our defensive penalty area where he occasionally
28:08can switch off.
28:13Tomorrow your Milan sides up against a very good team from set pieces. They scored a lot
28:18of goals from corner. On the other hand, I saw a statistic this morning that maybe you
28:22and your staff have already analysed. Milan have taken 71 corners this season, including
28:28the two Coppa Italia games, Barri and Lecce. Zero goals. Just one goal from the set-piece,
28:34which is the Loftus-Cheek goal in Serie A against Lecce. How do you explain that statistic? Because there
28:40are those that take them well. Modric, Pulisic. You've also got some good players in the air. Pavlovich,
28:45Gabia, Rabiot. Plus matches like these are also decided on set pieces. Thank you.
28:53You said we've taken 71. Maybe we'll take two and score a goal tomorrow. I don't know. Because
28:59that's what football is all about. Maurizio Cardone. Good afternoon, coach. Given the number of the injuries
29:08that you've had, some issues you've encountered during games, when you've been switching off,
29:14above all, do you think that your Milan side are in the best possible position ahead of this derby,
29:25or are you disappointed you haven't been able to really build on certain ideas?
29:28No, we're in the right frame of mind. We're in good conditions. If we get a good result,
29:36then it means we'll have gone into the game in the right frame of mind. If we don't,
29:39then it means we could have done something better. No, we're ready to play a game like tomorrow night.
29:44Cardone. Hi, Max. Two questions. First,
29:48this season you're playing without a centre forward. Matri, Ibrahimović, Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo.
30:01You've worked with all these players and Guardiola said that a centre forward is space.
30:09I'm not talking about the transfer window. I'm talking about your footballing philosophy. Do you
30:13always want a centre forward or how do you adapt to Pulisic and Liao who aren't necessarily like
30:20Vlaovic, Higuain and so on and so forth? I've often had teams that played without centre forwards,
30:30because when I was at Milan, Ibrahimović didn't really play as centre forward. Higuain didn't
30:35necessarily do so much that much. Boateng also played centre forward. Tevez and Matri had different
30:43skill sets as well. We mustn't forget that football is wonderful because
30:50the top scorer in Serie A this season is Cialanoglu with five goals. Pulisic has four goals but he
30:59missed a penalty. So as things stand, Milan's strikers have scored four goals. Liao, if I'm not
31:08mistaken and Pulisic has got four as well. The second question is, the Milan fans are celebrating
31:18the return of Franco Baresi. Is that an extra reason to reward Franco with the wonderful win in the
31:27Derby? And how will it feel to finally see Franco Baresi back at Club HQ? This news goes beyond what is
31:36a football match because Franco's a lot better and I'm delighted and I look forward to seeing him at
31:42Milanello because he should always be a benchmark for the Milan players and for the entire club as a whole.
31:49Thank you very much everyone.
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