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00:00Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome along to this pre-match press conference on the eve of Milan-Juventus. We'll start with
00:06Milan TV.
00:07Thanks, Nicola. Good afternoon, coach.
00:13You always try and strike the right balance in matches, but recent games between Milan and Juventus have been fixtures
00:20where frequently they've been very low-scoring affairs, nil-nil, 1-1, 1-0.
00:28They've always been very even games. Do you think it'll be an even game tomorrow or will one team dominate
00:35tomorrow night?
00:37That's hard to say because football is very unpredictable, because often you can score early on and then the game
00:45just opens up very naturally.
00:48But Milan-Juventus is a wonderful match. It's one of the most important fixtures in the Italian game.
00:53Above all, as it comes in a period when both they and I, we, are competing for a place in
01:01the top four.
01:02They've come on leaps and bounds. I think ever since Luciano Spalletti came into the club, they have been given
01:09a lift and they're having an excellent league season.
01:16There's no coach that has had more matches in charge of both Milan and Juventus.
01:25You've coached both teams more than 100 times, the only coach to have done so.
01:29You've often said this season that the crucial games, Udinese and others, is it the final crucial game of the
01:38season tomorrow night or is it any old game, an ordinary match?
01:44Matteo Gabbia said in an interview, we have done the most with the squad we have available.
01:50Do you agree with that, that the team has performed to the peak of their powers in terms of the
01:55skill set?
01:57As for crucial matches, I don't think it is a crucial match because we're at the end of the season.
02:01We need seven more points.
02:04We might need seven or a few, fewer than that.
02:08We'll see as we go along.
02:13It's a nice game, it's a game that we need to win because at the end of the season, the
02:18most important game was last Sunday because Verona were on the back of two consecutive defeats.
02:26It was very important to win the game and the guys did a very good job.
02:29Tomorrow, meantime, is another match which victory would allow us to take another small step forward towards our ultimate goal.
02:36As for what Matteo Gabbia said, when you work at Milan, you always need to strive to achieve the utmost.
02:44We've done so, we've been as ambitious as we can be and we need to work day in, day out
02:52to improve.
02:53There's still a month to go in the season and next season, we'll certainly start with very good foundations.
03:05We're in constant dialogue with the club, we're exchanging ideas and we have solid foundations because the Milan squad is
03:15made up of excellent players, both from a footballing perspective, but above all in terms of what they are as
03:20people and that's where we need to kick on from.
03:25Good afternoon, last week, Conte said that second place is the first loser.
03:33If you were to finish second, would Milan see that differently in terms of what you've achieved this season?
03:44I'm not going to comment on what Antonio had to say because I think he's doing an excellent job this
03:49season once again.
03:51I think winning is something extraordinary.
03:55And as I said, for a football club at this moment in time in Italy, it's absolutely crucial to finish
04:04in the top four positions so that you can play in the Champions League the following season, both from a
04:09footballing, sporting and above all economic perspective.
04:13It's absolutely crucial.
04:16We need to do the utmost and we'll see come the end of the season where we've finished second, third,
04:21fourth.
04:22Let's hope we're not fifth, but we'll see.
04:26Until we're not mathematically sure of being in the top four, we need to make sure that we keep our
04:32feet on the ground.
04:33We need to keep working hard.
04:35We have five matches, which are Juventus tomorrow.
04:38Then we have Sassuolo, which has always been a very tricky away game for Milan.
04:46It's not a tricky trip logistically because it's only an hour down the road, but it's a tricky game.
04:52Then we've got Atalanta at home.
04:54We go to Genoa.
04:56And whenever you play at Marassi, it's always very difficult.
04:59And then the final game against Cagliari.
05:01So, we need to get points on the pitch.
05:04And at this moment in time, we need seven points because that would be two wins and a draw from
05:10our final five matches to get seven.
05:11We play Juventus tomorrow and we need to take another small step forward in the knowledge that it'll be a
05:17very difficult game.
05:21Good afternoon, Max.
05:23You said that you're staying next season.
05:25No?
05:27So, given that you'll be here next season, what were you missing ahead of next season?
05:33What do you need this summer to try and go and win the Scudetto next season?
05:39There's no point talking about the transfer market now.
05:43Because when you're at this stage of the season, when you're completely focused on the end of the season and
05:49the target that's there in front of us, we certainly can't mathematically seal a top four finish tomorrow.
05:56So, we need to take another small step forward.
05:58But, as and when we've secured our goal, which won't be easy, but we need to secure this target, after
06:07that we'll all be a lot clearer in our minds about how to assess things.
06:10Because if you then sit down and have a chat about things, you see things in a slightly less clear
06:25way because you're so focused on the end of the season and securing your target.
06:32Hi, I wanted to know what sort of Juventus you're expecting tomorrow night.
06:44And how concerned are you or how much do you expect the strikers to start scoring again because it's a
06:51number of matches since the forwards have found the net?
06:54As for Juventus, Juventus are doing very well in terms of the way they play football, but also in terms
07:01of their solidity because they've kept three clean sheets on the bounce.
07:05So, I hope they do concede tomorrow.
07:09That said, at this moment in time, we mustn't think about the forwards or the midfielders or the defenders.
07:17Ultimately, we need to get our target over the line.
07:21Everything else doesn't matter.
07:24But how important would it be?
07:26Sure, it's important that target to finish in the top four, but how important would it be to finish as
07:31runners-up, to beat Juventus, to have an even better league position?
07:40I understand everything, finishing second, beating Juventus, but I only know one thing, and we need to be completely focused
07:49on this.
07:50Our target is to finish in the top four.
07:52We'll do the utmost to try and finish second.
07:55If we don't succeed, then that means someone will have done better than us.
07:59But we must not think about a single event, second place, the Juventus game.
08:10We need to think about our target.
08:12We need to be focused on that goal.
08:13There are five matches remaining.
08:14I said before the Verona game that we might even secure it on the final match day of the season.
08:23The most important thing is sealing our goal.
08:26At this moment in time, we need to be completely focused on our target.
08:31That's why all of us must only think about that.
08:37Mediaset, looking at the treatment table, or looking at form, Juventus have taken 10 points in the last 12.
08:51Milan have taken just six points in that particular window.
08:57Does that snapshot tell you that we should expect a big performance from Milan in the two derbies against Roma,
09:04against Napoli?
09:11Does your team really come to life in these big matches?
09:15I don't think my team's ever switched off, really.
09:18Unfortunately, there was a game where we had 24 match unbeaten run, and we've lost four games in the second
09:25half of the season.
09:26And that means that we have a different perspective on things, completely different perspective.
09:31But ultimately, our result is the total sum of our points.
09:35So in order to secure the target, you need to try and tot up all of the points that you
09:39record over the course of the season.
09:41And then the perception is that if you get them in the first half of the season,
09:45and then lose four games in the second half of the season when you could have lost two,
09:48and then maybe you'd had two draws in there, then people would have seen things very differently.
09:55But Milan's points at this moment in time are 66, so we still have five games to go,
10:02and we can still get a number of points, and that would allow us to finish in the top four.
10:10It's only natural if you lose four games in a 14-match window that you need to reflect on how
10:19you lost those games.
10:22But there are times in football when in the first half of the season those four games you drew two
10:28of them,
10:29whereas now you've lost two of them more.
10:31But what's important is to not necessarily lose sight of what your goal is,
10:35because the perception at this moment in time, quite rightly, is because, as I've said,
10:40if Inter get 12 points from 12, Juve get 10, and we get six.
10:44That's a fact that we've done worse than them in that four-match window.
10:48But we've done worse in those last ten games.
10:51But if you look at the league position, then we're three points ahead of Juventus.
10:55But after last night, we're now three points behind Napoli.
11:03You're quite rightly saying, I'm not speaking about my future or about the transfer market,
11:10and I think that's the right way to answer things.
11:13But because we're reading about constant meetings here at Milanello, even yesterday, and so on and so forth,
11:22I don't think you're only talking about the Juventus game.
11:30Does that mean that you're already starting to lay the groundwork?
11:36Or is there a methodology that's starting to take root?
11:42Or are you talking about philosophy or something else altogether?
11:53It's only natural that when we talk about things, we talk about the season as a whole.
11:57We talk about certain situations that have arisen.
12:00We speak about the potential of who we could sign next season.
12:07But at this moment in time, it's fairly disrespectful to talk about the transfer market now,
12:11because I'm not the one who should be talking about it,
12:14because there's a club that works on transfer dealings.
12:17But above all, we have a team of extraordinary footballers,
12:23and they, no one else, they have got Milan back into an appropriate league position.
12:29And this means that as things stand, next season we would be in the Champions League.
12:34So until the end of the season,
12:38all of those names that are being touted and reported in the press,
12:42none of it is true because the club worked very well last summer ahead of this season.
12:49We have a very competitive squad,
12:51and I'm not the one who's saying it because they're extraordinary players,
12:55but our results bear that out because until now we're in the top four.
13:04I'd like to come back to this subject matter without necessarily talking about names,
13:08but Luka Modric and Adrian Rabiot were the two most successful signings last summer ahead of next season.
13:18You need to improve your squad because it's pretty likely that you'll have a further competition to play,
13:25European football.
13:27Will you ask the club for ready-made top pros?
13:33Is that what Milan need now?
13:35Not necessarily exciting young players, but players that can be match winners in the here and now.
13:39All I can say is
13:43players are not like machines that come in and go.
13:47You have some very experienced players
13:51that have played for top clubs,
13:53they've played for international teams,
13:56and that means that they're not weighed down by the reputation of Milan.
14:01But if I talk about Ardon Yashari, where the club have invested significantly in him,
14:07and he's certainly an excellent footballer,
14:09but he got injured on his fibula,
14:12he came back in,
14:13he hasn't got as much playing time as he'd want.
14:18But that doesn't mean that the players become rubbish overnight.
14:21He was assessed as an excellent prospect.
14:24He's had some issues this season.
14:25He's had less playing time.
14:27But he
14:30is certainly
14:32a 24-year-old footballer
14:33who will be an important player for Milan going forward.
14:36Just like Cody De Vinta's come on leaps and bounds,
14:38Atacama's improved significantly too.
14:40We need to be a little bit patient.
14:41It's only natural that when you sign players that have been playing in the Champions League
14:47for 10 years or playing in the top leagues for 10 years,
14:51then they're a lot more ready.
14:54But given that we know we need to find a blend of the two,
14:57I think the club's done an excellent job on that.
14:59But you can improve upon anything, that's true.
15:02Tutto sport.
15:05Good afternoon.
15:06Speaking about young players that you've thrown into the mix,
15:09did you expect Kenan Yildiz to go on to achieve this
15:12when you first handed him his Juventus debut?
15:16Kenan has great ability.
15:21But it's not that I threw him into the mix or gave him his chance.
15:24I think at that moment in time,
15:27Juventus had been working very well
15:29in their academy set up with the under-23 side
15:34and they brought through a number of young players.
15:36Plenty of them have since moved on.
15:38Well, they brought in some excellent young players.
15:41I don't deserve credit for that.
15:43The credit goes to those that brought them through from 10 years.
15:50Yildiz came in later, like Dean Hoyssen,
15:52but all of the work was done actually below the first team level.
15:57I think Yildiz can do even more.
15:59Conte, dietro.
16:04Good afternoon, Max.
16:08I wanted to come back to those comparisons between Milan and Juventus
16:13because you've got great experience at both clubs.
16:16The mentality and expectations at Juventus was to win things.
16:20As for Milan as a club, their expectations,
16:25because you came into the club in a completely different situation
16:28compared with where you were at Juventus.
16:30Are the club's expectations similarly ambitious to Juventus is?
16:42Because Inter in recent times in Milan have won a lot of trophies
16:47and the Rossoneri supporters feel a little bit envious about that.
16:54We all need to feel that we can win things,
16:57but no one, not even this season.
17:00Even when we started this season, it might be next season.
17:04When you work for a top club that has a great history, winning tradition,
17:10it's only natural that your ambition is to try and achieve the utmost
17:14and to try and win the title.
17:17And if you do that, then you'll certainly get the utmost of what you can achieve,
17:21and that's a pretty good foundation to then kick on
17:24and achieve even more going forward.
17:25But ultimately, only one team can win the league,
17:28and there are certain cycles.
17:30Life is made up of cycles, and at this moment in time,
17:32Inter have been working very well for six years now.
17:36We need to congratulate them on that.
17:40Three years ago or four years ago, if I'm not mistaken,
17:43Milan won the Scudetto.
17:44It's not easy to win things, but we all need to have the ambition to win things,
17:50beginning with the right foundations.
17:52And I think Milan have laid the groundwork this season,
17:54but as I said, we need to finish the season in the top four.
17:59At this moment in time, we still need some points to achieve that.
18:06Buongiorno, Mr. Arena Sport, Serbia.
18:08I will proceed in English.
18:10In which aspect did Strakinja Pavlovic impress you the most
18:14since you arrived here as a coach?
18:16Grazie mille.
18:20Pavlovic is a player who has really improved this season.
18:23Pavlovic is a player that's come on leaps and bounds this season.
18:28Above all, he's a player that wants to improve a great deal.
18:31And at this moment in time,
18:35he's
18:38one of the best defenders in Europe.
18:40Sport Italia, Francesco Letizzi.
18:45Sport Italia.
18:46Good afternoon, coach.
18:47So, you won't speak about prospective new signings,
18:51but let's start talking about players that might leave the club.
18:55I remember what you said when Mignon hadn't yet signed a new contract.
19:01You said that you only start to realise how important,
19:05how significant Milan is when you leave the club.
19:09It's the same go for Rafa Liao.
19:13First and foremost, Rafa Liao, just like everyone else,
19:16has always knuckled down and worked very hard.
19:18Lest we forget, when Liao came back from his calf injury,
19:22which was around mid-October,
19:23he had six weeks where he came back in.
19:25And then in November,
19:27he had an issue with his groin,
19:30and that kept him out of the side,
19:33but he made himself available for selection.
19:36There are five matches to go,
19:38but we're not technically going to assess Liao on this season,
19:42because over the course of a campaign,
19:44there are certain things when things are going well
19:46and everything's going badly.
19:48But if a good player is good,
19:51they stay good.
19:51If they're a bad player,
19:53they stay bad.
19:53But Rafa's a good player.
20:04We went into the Verona game,
20:06and the situation seemed almost catastrophic.
20:11But I don't think a 1-0 win at the Bentaygogi
20:14was enough to sort things out.
20:16Have you cleared the air?
20:19Sure, you can't resolve everything
20:21by sitting around the table,
20:22and there are other things as well,
20:23but maybe you clarified things.
20:25Can you give us a bit more detail
20:26as to how you went from certain negative scenarios
20:30to now talking about the future
20:32and imagining signing Leon Goretzka?
20:37I always say that over the course of the season,
20:40but it's not me that's saying,
20:41and it's the way things are.
20:42The going gets tough.
20:44We went through that with those two losses.
20:47Above all, the bad defeat at home to Udinese.
20:49We can see the goals without realizing
20:51how we had done so.
20:52But that doesn't mean you necessarily
20:54need to throw the baby out with the bathwater
20:56in terms of all the good results that we've achieved.
20:59That's why I say we always need to keep an even keel,
21:02both when the going is good
21:04and the going gets tough.
21:07Because otherwise,
21:08you'll never find a way out of that.
21:10But the lads did a very good job
21:12because it wasn't easy at that stage last week
21:16to play at Verona.
21:17We were very neat and tidy.
21:18Maybe we could have been a bit better technically,
21:20but it was in no way easy to play that match.
21:25I'd like to come back to what you were saying.
21:29You mustn't get too down in the dumps
21:30when the going gets tough,
21:31but we've really praised you,
21:36Marco Landucci,
21:37your number two,
21:38and Christian Pulisic
21:39in the first half of the season,
21:41which was really in line
21:43with what he'd shown
21:43during his first few seasons at Milan.
21:46But how do you explain
21:46this 15-match run
21:48without scoring?
21:50Has he felt a little bit down
21:53above all in the last game?
21:55Do you think his fitness levels
21:57have improved as well?
21:58As for his fitness levels,
22:00Christian Pulisic's fitness levels
22:02has improved as well as everyone else's.
22:04Loftus' cheeks come back in,
22:06Santi Mendes comes back in,
22:07even though he's out for six months.
22:09The latter is naturally
22:11not at the peak of his powers
22:12in terms of match rhythm,
22:14but everyone is available for selection.
22:15As for Christian Pulisic,
22:19I think in the last few games
22:20Pulisic has done significantly better,
22:24but football's great
22:26because with one passage of play
22:28or one match,
22:29you can completely turn things
22:32on their head
22:32and do away with everything
22:34that you've done,
22:35both good and bad, in the past.
22:37So tomorrow,
22:38we all have the opportunity
22:39to produce a good performance.
22:41We need to play well
22:42against a top team like Juventus.
22:45Minister Buongiorno,
22:48in settimana,
22:49Prima Gabbia,
22:51Matteo Gabbia and then Pavlic
22:53and Tomori throughout the week,
22:55all of them were very complimentary
22:57of you in the last few days.
23:01how are you the figurehead,
23:03to what extent are you the symbol
23:04of this team that's working well?
23:08And how important will it be
23:10to play in front of 75,000 fans
23:12tomorrow night?
23:13As for the supporters,
23:15all we can do is thank them
23:16because right from
23:18the start of the season,
23:19that first game against
23:20Barri in the Coppa Italia,
23:21they've always filled the stands
23:22at San Siro.
23:23And so if we were to finish
23:25in the top four,
23:26qualify for the Champions League,
23:27I think that everyone
23:29deserves credit,
23:30including the supporters
23:32who've backed us
23:33throughout the season.
23:35As for the first question,
23:40it's always nice
23:41to read what people have to say,
23:43but I think one asset
23:45of this team is
23:46that we really do
23:47give absolutely everything
23:49in terms of commitment.
23:50that we might make mistakes,
23:52that we could have played
23:53better in certain matches,
23:54we could have played worse
23:55in certain games,
23:56I don't know.
23:57But certainly what this team has
23:59and what they'll show
24:00tomorrow night
24:01is that they'll give their all.
24:08Good afternoon, coach.
24:11I'd like to ask you,
24:13between now and the end
24:14of the season,
24:16besides, of course,
24:17wanting to finish
24:18in the top four
24:19like we all want to,
24:20what's your greatest wish?
24:22To finish in the top four.
24:25Prego, Carlo.
24:27Max, buongiorno.
24:28Good afternoon, Max.
24:31I went to see
24:34the film about
24:35Michael Jackson tomorrow
24:37and I saw
24:37the famous moonwalk
24:38and my questions
24:41do come in the most
24:42inconceivable times
24:43and the moonwalk
24:45was Kevin Prince-Boateng
24:47in the 2011 Scudetto party.
24:50You're the only person
24:54that's communicating
24:55at this moment in time
24:56so the fans
24:58certainly feel
24:59a little bit uncomfortable,
25:01almost as if
25:02they've pinched
25:03the future of them.
25:05Fourth place is important
25:06for you,
25:06finishing in the Champions League
25:07is important for you
25:09but no one
25:10recalls
25:11finishing fourth
25:12in the annals
25:14and Milan
25:15are a winning team.
25:19What can you say
25:20to the supporters?
25:21I realise
25:22that you're not
25:23someone to make
25:24big promises
25:24but could you
25:25actually say something
25:26because we've won
25:28very little
25:28over the last
25:2911 years.
25:31You've won two.
25:34One was won
25:35by purely
25:36Concessao
25:37and Montella
25:37in terms of trophies
25:39but what would you say
25:40to the fans
25:41who are uncomfortable
25:41because you don't
25:44get a trophy
25:44for doing the top four?
25:45No, fourth place
25:47nor third place
25:48nor second place
25:49do you necessarily
25:51go into the annals
25:52of history
25:53only if you win things
25:54and winning
25:55is the only thing
25:56that matters.
25:59I've come in this year
26:03and I think
26:04we as a club
26:05we're finishing
26:06a good job
26:07and we have
26:07good foundations.
26:08Of course
26:09the club
26:11first and foremost
26:12are ambitious
26:12the players too
26:13myself included
26:15we want to have
26:16that groundwork
26:18so that next season
26:19we can go and improve
26:20and we've had
26:21that same ambition
26:21this season.
26:22We are striving
26:23to try and be competitive
26:25to try and win
26:26the Scudetto
26:27to win the Coppa Italia
26:29unfortunately
26:29at the end of this season
26:32you need to assess things
26:33draw a line under it
26:34and say
26:34where do we make mistakes
26:35where could we have done better
26:36and this all starts
26:38with good foundations
26:41because the one mistake
26:43we mustn't make
26:45is to analyse things
26:47too negatively
26:48in terms of
26:49what we've got wrong
26:50because as I said
26:51then you're in danger
26:53of actually
26:54doing away with
26:55some of the very good things
26:56that we've achieved
26:57this season
26:58and I'd like to finish
27:01by saying
27:02I don't like it
27:04but until we've
27:05finished in the top four
27:07and that target
27:11from a footballing perspective
27:13and economically
27:14in order to strengthen
27:15the squad
27:16in order to improve
27:17the team
27:17in order to be
27:19in a competition
27:22where Milan feel at home
27:23we still need
27:24some gets and points
27:25to do all of that.
27:26Thank you very much everyone.
27:27Thank you very much.
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