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00:00Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome along to this pre-match press conference on the eve of Milan-Benfica, match day one
00:07with Gonzalo Ramos and head coach Ruben Amorim. We'll start with Milan TV. Thanks, Nicola. Good afternoon, coach and Gonzalo.
00:14A question for the coach about Milan-Benfica. It's a Europa League game, but this is a match which is
00:20synonymous with the European Cup.
00:23Rui Costa, who was the heart and soul of Milan and a big figure for Benfica. Will that all be
00:30part of it tomorrow? In Portuguese?
00:49Good afternoon, everyone. First and foremost, obviously it's an important game. It's our first match in the Europa League, but
00:59it's a special fixture.
01:03They've already been involved in 1963 and 1990, two European Cup finals. Benfica lost both of them.
01:14They are a symbol of European football. Rui Costa, the Benfica president, also played for Milan. He's a symbol for
01:22the club.
01:22Gonzalo also came through Benfica. I also had a spell during my playing career as Benfica as a kid, but
01:30that's what I'm interested in.
01:32I want to make sure that we don't necessarily have any injuries so we can focus on the next game
01:36against Lecce, and we're prepared for every game that we have.
01:40It is an important match, but once the first whistle goes, it will be another important game for us in
01:45our Europa League campaign.
01:46It's an important match. We're talking about the first match in the Europa League. We don't see it anymore. We
01:52know the story.
01:54Two finales, 1963 and 1990. In that case, as you will remember, Benfica won't win.
01:59We're talking about a symbol of European football. Rui Costa, obviously, is an important match for Milan.
02:07You know that I've had a past with Benfica, but I'm here, obviously, to win. We'll do our best to
02:14win. We're ready for everything. It's a game like the other, but the most important thing is that it's the
02:19best game for us in Europa League.
02:27Gonzalo, it's your second game at San Siro tomorrow after the Venezia game. You always try and play your football
02:33both home and away.
02:34You scored against Venezia at San Siro. The atmosphere. I'm sure you're very keen to experience all of that once
02:41again with the Milan fan base tomorrow.
02:55Good afternoon. It's always very special to play at home. It's also a little bit strange because I've been here
03:05about a month and we've almost not played at home at all.
03:08It's going to be a tricky game, but it's always very different playing at San Siro. We can feel the
03:14support of our fan base.
03:15And playing at home is always very special. It does taste a little bit different, so to speak. It's got
03:24a different flavor to it.
03:25And we're going to try and make the most of our home atmosphere to tap into that support that will
03:31give us a boost of confidence from the fan base.
03:35Good afternoon.
03:36Good afternoon.
03:36Chiaramente giocare in casa è sempre un sapore diverso. È una cosa sempre bellissima che è alquanto strana.
03:42Sapete che sono qui da un mesetto, più o meno ancora non ho potuto giocare effettivamente in casa.
03:47Sarà una partita senz'altro difficile, ma il fattore casa a San Siro è che potremmo contare su tutti i
03:52nostri tifosi.
03:53È sempre qualcosa di speciale giocare in casa, ma c'è appunto il fattore dei tifosi che sicuramente renderà il
04:00tutto ancora più avvincente.
04:02Claudio Raimondi, Medias.
04:05Mediaset. Hi, Ruben.
04:08On 21st May 2025, you made it to the Europa League final in Bilbao.
04:15You lost against Spurs, but you made it through to the final.
04:18So this is a competition that you know well.
04:20I'd like to ask you, therefore, the aim, I'm sure, is to try and go as far as possible in
04:25the competition, make the final.
04:26It is a big competition.
04:28And a quick question for Gonzalo.
04:30Were you to score, will you celebrate against your former club Benfica?
04:36Shall I answer first?
04:37Yes.
04:40No, if I were to score, I'm not going to celebrate.
04:45And that's because Benfica's home for me, let's say that.
04:49I've spent more time at Benfica than I did, actually, in my home back in the Algarve.
04:54But, of course, I'd like to score, hopefully more than one.
04:58But if I do score, then I won't, of course, celebrate.
05:22With regards to our aim, we're in the competition to try and win the trophy.
05:28I think it's very difficult to look at a competition and think as to whether we're one of the favourites
05:35to win it or not.
05:36There are a number of teams that have scope to make it through all the way to the final.
05:40But what I do know is in order to be competitive and to make it through to the final, we
05:45need to have a strong squad.
05:47And in order to have a strong squad, you need to have a lot of rotation.
05:51You need to be prepared for that.
05:52We don't have too many injuries.
05:54And if everyone plays a key role this season, then it means that we won't necessarily lose any games.
06:05But, of course, our aim is to try and win any competition that we're involved in.
06:10We have a competition and the goal is to win.
06:13We have great quality, we can say that we're here as a team, and we're here as a squadra.
06:17And, of course, our goal is to try and get to the final.
06:20And we know that many are competitive teams and what can make the difference in this case is to be
06:25able to count on a rosa degna of tal name.
06:28We need to be able to manage the best with the players at our disposal, to make the right decisions.
06:32And it's not a effort that concerns a single player, it's a effort that concerns all the team, and we
06:37all have to be ready.
06:39If there is a motivation, then, if there are all these factors, I think that we can win any competition
06:45and any game, remembering that the goal is only one, to win.
06:49Rocky, Rai.
06:53Good afternoon, Ruben.
06:58You had that second-half performance against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, and almost all of us said that the
07:03three substitutions made the difference.
07:05Talking about Yunus Musa, we're talking about Diego Moreira, and Christian Pulisic, that's right.
07:13The ability of Pulisic in behind the striker.
07:17Do you plan to kick on from that second half?
07:20What have you thought about that particular match?
07:27Clearly, I watch the game back, and I assess things, just like everyone else has.
07:31We can play completely differently in the second half, but I don't think it was necessarily the substitutions in our
07:39team that changed the balance of play.
07:42There were players that played a lot better in the second half than they did in the first half.
07:46I think it comes down to the dynamics of the team, as opposed to the substitutions, two or three players
07:51coming into the game for the second period.
07:53Of course, we could always think that we've finished the game finishing well, and that we're therefore going to start
08:01with the same 11 at the start of the next game.
08:03I don't believe that, because it's a completely different kettle of pitch.
08:06There were certain players that weren't involved in pre-seasons that I have to manage.
08:09We have three games over the course of the season.
08:12We know that this is the most important game of the week, because it's our next game.
08:19And against Lazio, it wasn't necessarily the three substitutions that changed the game.
08:23It was the team itself that changed differently, and we need to use that energy to play positive football.
08:58I think it was the 11th in the beginning.
08:59No, absolutely.
09:00There are some differences.
09:02I don't think it's something that it's about us, but it's just a change in the game of the team.
09:08We should always consider that in some weeks in which we don't have a single match, we need to manage
09:13two.
09:14A lot of times we need to manage three.
09:15And when we prepare for the game of tomorrow, we're already thinking about what we'll do next week.
09:21So, with Lazio, what I've seen personally, that has been a difference, has been a change in the game of
09:25the game.
09:48We're going to talk about the game of the game of the game of the game of the game.
10:15It was very clear right from day one that I wasn't going to coach again in Portugal.
10:21That I wasn't going to coach.
10:23That was my decision.
10:25I was going to stop, and I was going to have a year off with my family, who I hadn't
10:29seen for four years.
10:30That was very clear.
10:32What was most important to understand is that then I received a phone call from Milan.
10:38Milan, I spoke to the owners, and they wanted me to come and work here as soon as possible.
10:43So, I wasn't going to go coaching in Portugal.
10:47I wasn't going to go back to Portugal at this moment in time.
10:51The only offer that actually took me out of this year off that I was going to have was Milan.
10:58Milan came up, and I decided to come here.
11:00That's the most important thing.
11:01I was going to say that I was going to work here in Portugal, but I decided that I had
11:12to stop for a moment.
11:13And it was clear that if I had received a call from Benfica or other Portuguese teams, I would have
11:19said no.
11:19But then it happened that I was called to Milan, and this thing I made it to be a retro
11:24front, so to speak.
11:25And it was a call to which I couldn't say no.
11:28I decided to accept it in a good way, in a good way, in a good way, to work for
11:31Milan.
11:48A question for the coach.
11:51This week, a lot has been said about Luka Modric after his performance against Lazio, which wasn't positive.
12:00You said that in order for Luka to play, let me sum things up, in order to play well, we
12:05need to have the ball,
12:06and we mustn't necessarily be chasing after the ball.
12:09That's essentially the case.
12:10Could you explain to us how can you resolve that problem?
12:14Is there a possible tactical solution, for instance?
12:17And will Luka play tomorrow?
12:21A question in Portuguese is that Luka Modric played with Roma, and with the Roma, there was not a big
12:32game of this player.
12:33And the minister said that, for him to play well, it's important to have control of the ball.
12:53So, in order for Luka to feel comfortable in the game, we need to have a lot of ball possession.
13:02I can remember maybe seven or eight misplaced passes without any pressure on the ball, where we actually gave away
13:09possession.
13:10And that meant that we were chasing after possession.
13:12And that is not the style of football that Luka needs to be involved in.
13:16So, in order for us to have a Luka in certain game situations, certain fixtures,
13:22we need to make sure that we're able to deal with the ball very well.
13:26And that's the idea that we have when Luka is involved.
13:32It's quite funny that everyone has a definitive opinion on every single player, week in, week out.
13:41Last week against Juventus, everyone said that Diego Moreira wasn't ready.
13:45He played badly.
13:46He wasn't able to do anything.
13:48One week later, we're saying that Diego Moreira is the Milan hero.
13:53So, that's what football is all about.
13:55So, I'm not going to draw any conclusions about Luka's performance.
13:59First and foremost, because he's a former Ballon d'Or winner, and I know what he's worth as a footballer.
14:04And everyone has their own history.
14:06I'm not going to necessarily say whether or not Luka will start tomorrow,
14:09but he's a very important player for our team.
14:11And he's going to help us over the course of the season.
14:17I'm not necessarily going to draw a line under the players week in, week out.
14:21I know how good they are, and then I'm going to use them accordingly.
14:24If you look at the question, Luka Modric, it's important to organize the scheme in order to have a strong
14:32possesso palla.
14:34And another thing that I would like to point out to, and that is very often, is that many people
14:39seem to have an opinion, an opinion, a definitive opinion, a definite opinion, an opinion.
14:46For example, in the game with Juventus, all of them said that Moreira was bad, he played well, then it
14:52happened a little bit, and suddenly Moreira became the hero of Milan.
14:56In short, it's a question that there is always. I know that Modric has already shown that he is a
15:04great player, I know that he is a great player, he is an important player, and that's why when we
15:09talk about that player X, that player Y, I don't think I'm in the conditions, and I think it's right,
15:15to get a clear conclusion.
15:23Hi coach, Omari Hutchinson is the last in chronologically, in terms of he's been training here at Milanello, how is
15:35he settling in, is he ready to play from the first whistle?
15:55Yeah, Hutchinson was the last one in, and we have been a little bit careful about that, he is ready
16:01to start, he could play the game from the first whistle, but we'll see you tomorrow, but I'm sure that
16:09Marco Silva is very intelligent, he's watching my press comments, I don't want to give away my starting 11 necessarily.
16:16I can say, from the conditions, from what he did, that he could be ready to play, but I keep
16:21a total reserve on the initial training, we're studying it, but why not, he could be ready to get his
16:29quality already in the field.
16:30Luca Bianchini.
16:32Hi Gonzalo, we know you're here in Italy because you're a good player, but we're also getting to know you
16:40in terms of how you play, you run a great deal, and a lot has been said about the fact
16:45that you're not necessarily
16:46getting enough service inside the penalty area in order for you to score goals, you had a number of chances
16:51against Venezia, a lot less since then, how does it work with you, how can the team help you, is
16:58that happening, are they doing a good job on that, or could you change something in terms of how the
17:03team can work to get the best out of you?
17:05Hello, I'm honoured to have a bit.
17:06Hello, Gonzalo.
17:07Gonzalo is a player that we're new to know in Italy, and a player that is a player that is
17:13a good player, who needs to get the ball well made to run goals, that is one thing that we're
17:20sure is going to play good in the game.
17:24So, the player needs to be good for you to score goals, which has been clear, for example, for Venezia.
17:31What would you think it could change at the level of the game, at the level of the game?
17:37First and foremost, I think the focus isn't necessarily on whether I score a lot of goals
17:42or not.
17:43I think the most important thing is always for the team to win games, whether or not
17:49I'm the protagonist, whether I'm able to score winning goals.
17:53That's part of who I am as a player, that's part of what the head coach asks of us as
17:57well, and that's what the team needs.
18:01I think if all of us work a great deal and work very intelligently as a unit, then I
18:08think we can achieve something great this season.
18:16We're all getting to know one another, it's a new team, a new season, we have to get into
18:20a routine and create links, and I think we will get better over time.
18:25And of course, with my assists and my goals, the goals from the team itself are going to
18:31help us to win more matches, we're going to find some form.
18:33And I think that's the most important thing.
18:36I don't think that our focus, that our attention, should be involved in the fact that I sign a
18:41goal of more or less.
18:43We're here as a squad.
18:44We're here as a squad.
18:45We're here as a squad to win, even if I'm not necessarily the protagonist.
18:51It's part of the type of player that I represent.
18:54And the needs that we have are always on the team.
18:58For me, I think that if we continue to run, we continue to play, and if we continue to
19:03be a squad, we can do great things.
19:06And in the meantime, I see that we're creating more relationships and more relationships.
19:10And with the time, all of this will improve, without a doubt.
19:14The victories, in this case, will certainly arrive.
19:19Good afternoon.
19:23I'd like to ask you whether you have watched this Marcos Silva side and whether you believe
19:29that they can win the domestic title in the Europa League, and whether or not you occasionally
19:34miss coaching a Portuguese side.
19:37The question is if you have seen the trajectory of the Benfica in Portugal, what is the Benfica
19:47doing in Marcos Silva.
19:48And I would like to know in this case what you think about the trajectory of the Liga,
19:55so the championship in Portugal and the Europa League, and if you think that it can be a
20:00team candidate for the victory of the trophy.
20:05I think looking at Benfica, I think Benfica can win any game.
20:10They've got a great coach and they've also got the players to do so.
20:13What I said in Portugal, I say the same in Italy.
20:17Occasionally there are Portuguese clubs that have a responsibility they occasionally shouldn't
20:22have because they don't necessarily have the same resources as clubs like Italian clubs.
20:26So that certainly puts more responsibility on me.
20:29But I've always said that in Portugal, and I say that again, looking at the team, looking
20:33at the head coach in terms of the rotations they can make domestically.
20:37Of course, if everything was to pan out well, I can see a very strong Benfica side.
20:42They've got a very clear identity.
20:43They're able to win the domestic title.
20:45As for the Europa League, the Portuguese clubs shouldn't necessarily expect to win that.
20:51I know that back home everyone says that Portuguese sides should always win continental matches.
20:57So I'm not going to put that pressure on Marco.
20:59They are a team that, of course, can win things because Portuguese clubs have proven in the past
21:05that can go very far in these competitions.
21:07The same goes for us.
21:09I look at my team.
21:10I can see some other strong sides from England.
21:12I don't know how our season is going to pan out.
21:14But I can also see that we have a bit of responsibility to go far in the Europa League.
21:19So that's my answer.
21:20Yes, they can win it.
21:22They have the coach and the players to do so.
21:24They can rotate domestically.
21:26And I don't think they should necessarily have the responsibility or the burden to win it,
21:30because I think Portuguese clubs are already doing a lot better with less than other clubs.
21:34As to whether I miss Portugal, I miss my country.
21:38But if there's a country which is similar to Portugal, it's Italy.
21:43And I hope that I can stay here for a number of years.
21:46We never know what's going to happen as a head coach.
21:47But, of course, I do feel completely at home.
21:50And this is a second home for me, a second city.
21:53But I will always miss my friends back home in Portugal.
21:57But my hearing now is Italy.
21:58And I've almost become a little bit Italian.
22:00The Benfica has demonstrated more and more times that in reality,
22:03like many other teams in Portugal,
22:05it can win a lot of trophies and a lot of cup.
22:08This is for the quality of the players, this is for the quality of the players.
22:12And it's one thing that is responsibility of many Portuguese clubs.
22:18We've seen the quality of many countries that are part of the world of Portuguese football.
22:23The Benfica, what can we say?
22:24It's an identity that is marked.
22:26It's very, very strong.
22:28And why not?
22:29Why not?
22:30Why would they want to win in the Europa League?
22:32It's a thing that we've discovered with time.
22:35And Benfica, as well as other teams in Portugal,
22:38that in the past have demonstrated that they can win the best competitions.
22:40This thing, as well as for the Milan.
22:45We've seen in the Europa League,
22:46there are three English teams that are quite strong.
22:49They can do it for us to try to win the title
22:52or, at least, win the title.
22:55Or, at least, in the last possible way.
22:57For the question of the Annesso,
22:58if there is a certain lack of home,
23:00maybe in Portugal,
23:02is Portugal a country that I miss?
23:06This is clear.
23:07However, now I'm here.
23:09And my project is to stay for several years.
23:11I can define Milan as a second home.
23:14So, we need Portugal.
23:17But we need to focus on what we can do in this team.
23:24Hi, Gonzalo.
23:25Question for the player.
23:26I don't know how used to you are with things with your Portuguese colleagues,
23:30but here in Italy,
23:32three games without scoring
23:33and there has been some criticism of you.
23:36Does that help you?
23:37Does that motivate you?
23:38Will you go out there tomorrow on the pitch
23:39to try and prove a point and say,
23:41watch,
23:42I can take shots,
23:43I can score goals,
23:44I'm a good player?
23:46Here,
23:47the journalist doesn't know how Portuguese colleagues score these things,
23:52but there are three games without a goal.
23:55Is this a strong motivation for the game of tomorrow and the next?
24:01It's the same situation in Portugal.
24:03If he doesn't score?
24:06It's the same.
24:08You guys are the same.
24:12The truth is it's two games, not one, because tomorrow's game hasn't yet come to pass.
24:19And I think these days people tend to look at strikers performances as whether or not they scored,
24:27whether it's a good performance or not.
24:30And I don't think that's completely fair because I can have a bad game and get on the score sheet
24:36and then the journalists and the press might say that I played well because I scored a goal,
24:40but on the contrary, maybe I played very well and I don't find the net
24:44and all that people are interested in are the number of goals I score.
24:47So I don't think this necessarily motivates you or adds pressure to you
24:53because every game is an opportunity to work hard to show my worth
24:56and it's not a case of whether I've scored in the previous game or not,
25:00which is going to motivate me more or less.
25:03I always have huge motivation for every match and it's not the previous game
25:08that's necessarily going to define me as a football player.
25:10I think that's my answer.
25:14Precisezioni a two partite, non tre, sottolineava.
25:18Per quanto riguarda la prossima partita,
25:24diciamo che c'è sempre questa specie di attaccamento al ruolo delle punte,
25:31al ruolo dei centri avanti che devono fare gol,
25:33dipende tutto quanto da loro, non è una cosa che trovo particolarmente corretta.
25:37Io potrei fare un gioco pessimo e segnare oppure potrei fare un gioco eccellente,
25:42al contrario non mettere la palla in porta.
25:44Quindi non considero le prestazioni delle partite precedenti
25:47come una motivazione per dimostrare o meno il valore rispetto a quello che è stato fatto.
25:53Ogni partita in realtà è un'occasione fondamentale per poter dimostrare il valore.
25:58Quindi concentrati su ciò che avverrà, la motivazione ci deve essere sempre,
26:03non solo in base a quello che è stato fatto o non fatto.
26:06Franco.
26:08Sì.
26:11Allora, amore, tu hai detto a Roma dopo la mattia...
26:16Ruben, dopo la Lazio game, tu hai detto che non sono pazzi.
26:21Io non sono pazzi.
26:21Io, personalmente credo che tu non sei pazzi.
26:31But I am asking you, after the Lazio game, have you figured out who your starting 11
26:41should be and where everyone else should be in the hierarchy?
27:16Obviously, any coach has an idea of what their best starting 11 looks like, but then there
27:23comes a problem that we're here talking about.
27:26In my experience, and twice I've been competing for the domestic title, less so in the second
27:32case, but the first as a player, but competing for the Europa League and competing for the
27:38domestic title, it's impossible to consider that you might be able to get by with 11 or
27:4214 players to win both competitions.
27:45So it's difficult for me to be here and say that we have a best starting 11.
27:51That's not our idea.
27:51We want to have an identity whereby all of the players are able to play as part of our
27:55team without us necessarily losing a lot of quality.
28:00But of course, obviously, I do have which players I'd like to select for certain matches, but
28:06it's going to depend on one game or another.
28:10But if you're honest in terms of our observation, which of you thought that Yunus Musa would be
28:17a starter and that Luka Modric should be the so-called problem?
28:20No one, but that's what the last matches have shown.
28:23So the idea of a best starting 11 in football these days is a real issue for me because
28:28I think you need to have an entire squad in order to win competitions.
28:33But after certain matches, I do start to see what sort of players I want to pick, what sort
28:38of starting 11 I want to have, so I have a slightly clearer idea of my squad as a whole.
28:42But that will change over the course of the season and so much the better that it will.
28:46Well, we have an idea of what kind of player can do and what could be the initial role of
28:56the
28:56formation. But we have to consider a whole series of problems. There is a championship, there is
29:01the Europa League, there are other games. It is not possible to face a entire season with
29:07only 11 or 14 players to win.
29:10It is possible to have a base form of 11 players that don't change because the identity
29:16should be built on a level of team, without forgetting the important qualities of every single
29:22player, but everything in a team. It is possible to have a base form of 11 players.
29:27For example, we have seen what can do Musa, Modric, etc. So this formation is a thing that
29:33changes with the time and it has to change necessarily to be able to get to the victories.
29:38So it is important to have an idea of the initial role, knowing what are the qualities of a single
29:44player
29:44that they do more in a game, in an occasion or in another.
29:52Hi coach.
29:56You said that there are a number of competitive teams in this Europa League. I don't know whether
30:02you've necessarily had a look in the dressing room amongst you and with the ownership, having
30:07a chat about what Milan's minimum target might be in the Europa League. How far do you think
30:12you can go? And where would you be happy to get to as your minimum target, even from a financial
30:19perspective? And could it be a motivation for you and for the players the fact that Milan have
30:24never won neither the UEFA Cup nor the Europa League?
30:27We said that there are many teams that are competitive teams that can win in the Europa League. And the
30:35question
30:35is if there are issues of minimum objectives in the Balneário and with the Milan, as well as
30:43objectives of the Milan. Where would they want to get to the Milan? Where would they be happy? And this
30:50is
30:50the goal of the Milan.
31:00In terms of my experience of big clubs and Milan are a huge club, there is no minimum objective. Whatever
31:08our result is and if we don't win, you are going to be here and you're not necessarily going to
31:14criticise me but you're going to criticise the team and you're going to say that we came up short.
31:20I had this experience even at Portugal, even if you make it to the final and you don't win the
31:25final, then you came up short and a lot of people in Portugal say that Benfica should win the Europa
31:30League.
31:30That's why there's no such thing as a minimum target. We have to win our next game. Our aim is
31:36to win our next game. If we don't win, then of course it's going to be a case of everyone
31:41thinking we came up short.
31:42So I'm not the coach of a team who's going to say, let's try and make the quarterfinals or the
31:48semifinals. We're not interested in that. We have one goal in mind and our only goal is to win.
31:53Anything else other than that, we know that we're going to be criticised because that's the price you pay when
31:58you coach Milan. It's not necessarily about the financial side of things because the Europa League has nothing similar to
32:05the riches of the Champions League.
32:07It comes down to the fact that I'm not going to set any minimum targets. It will be difficult, but
32:12our aim is to try and win our next game so we can get closer to winning the competition as
32:15a whole and then one game after another we'll get closer to winning the competition as a whole and that's
32:20my aim.
32:21For an experience person in big clubs, and the Milan is a big club, there is no concept of a
32:28minimum goal. If we don't win, we are simply passable to critiques, even selvage and, as I said, with the
32:36experience that I've had in Portugal,
32:36simply use the word Kurt, in the sense that they don't can do, and it's not this that I want
32:43to achieve. This is an experience that I've seen in the past several times and it's why,
32:47that's why, I mean, there is no minimum goal, there is no minimum goal. We have to win one game,
32:51there is no minimum goal, we have to win a game, we have to win a game, we have to
32:52win a game,
32:53just to avoid these possibilities, just to avoid this possible critiques. This is why we do the concept of minimum
32:58goal, no.
32:59Very simply, the goal goal is to win, just to avoid these critiques, and beyond the economic aspect, the critical
33:05critiques are the price,
33:06the scot to pay for having the opportunity to train a team like Milan.
33:12And we have to think about the next part, about the one that will happen again,
33:16and slowly try to win the final.
33:27Hi, yesterday you got the support and the visit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
33:31Besides being an advisor to the ownership,
33:33he was also a great striker at this club.
33:36So I'd like to ask Gonzalo whether as a centre forward,
33:41as a former Milan centre forward,
33:43whether Zlatan spoke to you, whether he advised you anything.
33:45What did Zlatan say to you yesterday?
33:51Yesterday.
33:53Yesterday we had a conversation with Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
33:58a great player, Ponta, from Milan, and also an advisor here with the team.
34:12No, he didn't necessarily give me any pointers.
34:19He simply asked me whether I was liking things, whether I was happy,
34:22and he wished me a warm welcome to the club.
34:24That was the first time we spoke to one another.
34:27And it's always nice to see him here.
34:29He's a club legend, and he's a very important player for us.
34:36We can feel his support, and it was nice to see him come and visit us.
34:39Thank you very much.
34:55Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a legend.
34:58We all know who he is.
34:59And, clearly,
35:00receiving the support of a kind of personality
35:02is not something we can underestimate.
35:04Let's go to the last one.
35:05Please.
35:06The microphone.
35:09Good afternoon, coach.
35:18Good afternoon, coach.
35:21Milan are about to face their fifth competitive game of the season.
35:25What would you make of, tactically, what you need to consolidate?
35:29What do you make of what you need to improve upon,
35:29and where you consolidate?
35:31What are the main strengths of Manfica, in your opinion?
35:40Yes, I can repeat it.
35:42Good afternoon, coach.
35:44Milan have their fifth competitive game of the season.
35:47What would you make of, tactically, what you need to consolidate,
35:51what you've already strengthened, what you still need to improve upon,
35:54and what are the main strengths of this Manfica side?
35:57Okay.
35:58La domanda in italiano, semplicemente,
35:59abbiamo già visto in questo avvio di campionato,
36:02quali sono i punti di forza del Milan.
36:05E se ci sono, la domanda è se ci sono delle possibilità di ottenere un maggiore equilibrio
36:10con i rinforzi che sono arrivati, i progetti per il futuro,
36:13e se c'è qualche indicazione di tipo più tattico.
36:18Molto o meno, questa traduzione non è così...
36:21Non è bene.
36:25No, prima di tutto,
36:28io credo che i giocatori apprendono,
36:33come vogliamo giocare,
36:35hanno già giocato con un giro di giro,
36:37e questo è un po' aiuto,
36:38e credo che hanno potuto adattare un po' più veloce
36:43con le pallone di giro.
36:44In quanto riguarda più,
36:46ma anche l'amore di un po' più veloce.
36:49E credo che abbiamo anche già stato molto
36:51con la mano di giro di giro e di avere problemi in posizione.
36:56Però credo che abbiamo avuto più di giro di giro di giro.
36:59Credo che abbiamo un po' più concentrato
37:01di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro.
37:04E' perché è la parte di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro di giro di
37:11giro di giro di giro di giro.
37:14And the players aren't necessarily performing well enough and high enough up the pitch in
37:19order for us to perform well, but I think there is that physicality and that way that
37:24we play, that we'd want to play with, not necessarily seeing it yet, but this is still
37:30a young squad and there will be continuity in terms of the project.
37:34As for Benfica, I think the real strength of Benfica is that they have a very clear
37:38identity. We know what Benfica want to do on the pitch. I think they can mix things up
37:45because typically they play Rafa, who's a winger, playing more inside, but the game can change
37:52differently. Cristiani is very dangerous near the opposition goal. They're very confident.
38:00They build up with three at the back. They have that left back. They rotate a great deal.
38:05Barreiro has been excellent. I think he could end up playing for Arsenal, because I read
38:11the papers and I know that you tend to get things right, but he is able to stretch the
38:18pitch. Joao Palinho is going to start the game. Joao Palinho is going to play this game
38:22and the next game, and he's very good in terms of set pieces and impressing. We're well aware
38:26of that, and Benfica are a team. Benfica are a team with an excellent head coach. They've
38:30got a lot of excellent individuals, and they are players that are used to pressure and winning,
38:37and that transformed teams, and I feel that the team are very confident. We're also very
38:41prepared for that. I know Marco Silva very well. I know Benfica very well as a team. I know
38:47that there's going to be huge pressure on us, but I also know that Benfica have huge pressure
38:51on them to win every game, so I think it's going to be an excellent game. It'll be a lot
38:54of fun.
38:58We've seen our own way of playing, we've seen how it plays Benfica.
39:02For what I mean, I have seen a certain capacity of adaptability, especially for what
39:06I mean, the role of the central campers and the role of the central campers. I have seen
39:10a certain control, the ability to manage the game, even in lack of possession of ball.
39:18And for what we can do, we know that we have various players that must be able to bring
39:26continuance to their game and to the project. For what I mean, Benfica, we've seen
39:32that they play very well in the internal campers, they are able to play more
39:39more. They can play very well in the environment. They can play very well in the environment.
39:46We've seen, for example, Paligna. We know that he will probably play for other matches,
39:52not only for the tomorrow.
39:54And Benfica, again one time, has a great player. We've seen individual players
40:01specific players from the point of view of the game.
40:04We know that they will be ready to win against us.
40:10We, as Milan, are absolutely ready to counterattack and do our best.
40:18They will put us under pressure, but we will be ready to try to do the opposite
40:23in their case.
40:24Thank you all and good work.
40:27Thank you very much everyone.
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