Fabio Capello believes that AC Milan must not throw the towel in just yet in the race for the Scudetto, while he praised the young players who played against Cagliari as well as Luka Jovic.
Capello is someone who knows what it takes to win the league, given that his Milan remained at the top of the table for three years in a row, winning the Scudetto in 1992, 1993 and 1994, and then again in 1996.
Pioli’s Milan ended an 11-year Scudetto drought in May 2022 and then took a step back domestically, but last season they did reach the Champions League semi-final. This year they find themselves chasing Inter and Juventus, but it’s not time to abandon the race yet.
Capello spoke in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport and he assessed Milan’s current moment, including whether they should still be considered a title candidate.
Capello, what can push Milan to aim higher again?
“The shirt you wear, among the most glorious and famous in the world. This must be enough to relaunch yourself, the desire to honour it always and in any case.
“A coach who leads Milan must have this and nothing else in mind: bringing the team to success. True, it’s difficult. But I repeat, if you’re Milan you have to try and never give up.”
The young players, the new Jovic, the transfer market and Leao returning to scoring: which of these reasons can help the most?
“I’ll start with the young players because focusing on them is an act of courage that I see more and more often. Doing it at Milan can be even more difficult. Seeing so many guys on the pitch in the Coppa Italia, and not only that, was nice. They showed they have spirit and quality.”
Jovic has started scoring consistently, did you expect it?
“Milan have rediscovered the player they knew they had signed last summer. Lately he has scored and performed well. If he continued it would be important for several reasons: for him, for the team and for healthy competition with Giroud.”
The mercato will add new options to the squad, can that provide further impetus?
“We need to see what kind of mercato it will be. It would be important to sign ready players who don’t have to get used to the league.
“The abolition of the Growth Decree works against us in this sense. However, players who will return from long-term injuries and who will be able to be available.”
Are the goal against Cagliari and the applause from fans encouraging signs for Leao?
“I have always been a sponsor of his, Rafa is one of the few players whose matches are worth watching, he shows something different. The goal in the cup helped him regain confidence in himself.
“It’s normal to expect a lot from him, he had accustomed us to beating the opponent: out of ten times he attempted a one-on-one, it happened that on seven or eight occasions he came out the winner.
“I don’t think the full-backs have all become very strong and capable of stopping him, it’s Leao who has to find himself and the goal may have helped him.”
Do you think he should be more present in team play?
“We can ask him for more in terms of participation in the defensive phase but it is more important that he finds dribbling and scoring again.
“I’m interested in him giving something more in what he knows how to do and which until recently he could do naturally. And it’s not as if someone like Savicevic had all that anger in going to get the ball back when he lost it…”
Finding consistency will also be crucial…
“The two wins in a row in the league and the cup are positive, but confirmation will already be needed in the next match against Empoli. Continuity is decisive to have more and more conviction.”
And to fuel the dream of a comeback…
“Let’s be honest, the points from Inter and Juve are many. However, titles are decided in the spring and it’s not the usual cliché. Milan must be consistenct and hope that the others aren’t.”
Is it possible?
“Both Inter and Juve are equipped for the title. Inter could lose a bit of the grit and determination shown up to now due to all the praise we give them, me first. In a situation like this it happens to fall asleep a bit.
“‘It’s more difficult for it to happen to Juve, Allegri is always on the ball: however, I thought that the market could support him with some substantial investments, but instead they fish from the internal pool.”
Milan’s season will be positive if…
“Any trophy added to the trophy cabinet will have great value, especially if it is a European one. In the league it is right to try to chase whoever is in front but also pay attention to the other candidates for the Champions League zone, they are many and fierce.”
“It would be important to sign ready players who don’t have to get used to the league.”
Let me be the bad guy for saying it out loud – stop with this import of cheap foreginers.
Hear hear.
I see the whole playing youth in the Copa in two ways. We didn’t really care much about that cup so the ‘risk’ was actually minimal to play youths. If we lost we can cough it up to “they’re only youths playing a “big” team”. If they won, they get all the praise and Pioli gets branded as trying out the youths when in reality he didn’t really care about that cup. I want to see if he does the same next round against a solid Atalanta. Or if the big guns come out (I think the latter)