Milan Manager recently spoke to the media ahead of the Napoli clash on Saturday, one of the topics that came up was how Donnarumma could be come the best in the game.
On Donnarumma and Reina: “He [Reina] has not trained for the last 10-12 days, but one of them will be playing regularly in two competitions and the other in the third competition.”
On Donnarumma: “If he manages to copy Reina, playing an important role in the dressing room, then he can become the number one in the world. He has had an incredible fortune, he has an incredible champion playing with him. The rest now is up to him, he has only to copy.”
Gattuso was not sure about whether Mattia Caldara will start or not. He said: “I do not know if he plays or not. He comes from a totally different football style compared to how we play. We have always played with the four at the back line. We have different methods and at this moment we have to work on it.”
“Castillejo is very fast. You can see he comes from a different type of football. He will provide alternatives and can manage to overturn the action with his good techniques when he gets fast he does interesting things. I am happy with everyone that has come in this summer.”
Gattuso was asked about rumors of his position being at risk: “Gordon Singer told me not to listen to what you (journalists) say. You wrote of my funeral for a month but Gordon told me the club has confidence in me. I met him on the sixth of August after a very busy day. Our goal is to improve our finish from last year.”
On the exclusions of Zapata and Montolivo: “Zapata is injured, he is back from the World Cup but not in perfect condition, he can train but we decided not to risk him because if he has a relapse he will be out for up to 3 or 4 months. We didn’t bring him to America, that was my choice, he (Montolivo) knows that the priority at this time are other players. Now he is not available but is taking care for when he will be able to train and will be part of Milan.”
On the other market: “Inter has made many improvements, it will be a difficult championship to win, Juventus has something more, they have signed the best player in the world, they have a very important base, the team to beat will be Juventus. The Italian championship? it’s up to us to make people enjoy and talk about Italian football.”
On the impact of Higuain on Cutrone: “I hope Patrick improves, it’s the same thing as Donnarumma, he has to learn the hard-to-do movements, I think it can be an important help but he has to work. We have two forwards, the third is Borini, and Andrè Silva wanted to leave, Bacca left on the last day, and we really believe in Patrick, so we stayed like that.”
On goalkeepers: “There will be two goalkeepers who will share the three competitions, Reina has been stopped, he has a back problem, we can get the consecration of Donnarumma who can be the strongest in the world. He needs to learn from Reina, how he moves, and how he trains. I told him, if you can improve, it is no accident that you have changed in the last fifty days, you can become the strongest in the world.”
On the mentality of the team and on the evolution over the past year: “I was always satisfied by the friendlies but I also got very angry, we did good things but we did not improve as we wanted in some situations. In good matches, we are often satisfied, this is not enough, today I look for these little subtleties, we must improve, help each other in the week when some players think the training is over and then something happens, I think that’s what we need to do to work.”
On Bakayoko: “He likes to play in a midfield of two, we knew that when you change something you must talk to the players; I was surprised because I thought it was slower, but on the tests, I have to say that I was surprised by the dynamic.”
On Caldara: “We do not know if he is playing tomorrow or not, with the fact that his style of football is different from ours, it has different methods, but it has a great mentality and desire. He asks to always do something more. I think that with this mentality and desire there will not be any problem. I knew he was used to it in a certain way and there was work to do, we cannot reset what he had in his head over the years. It takes time. with him, he is a head above the others.”
On how to work with Leonardo and Maldini and on the Rossoneri’s DNA: “There is a great relationship … With Leo, we talk two or three times a day, Paolo spends more time at Milanello, there is great respect. When he shakes their hand that when they bring oxygen and adrenaline. The team gases when he sees the new leaders. This makes me feel good when Paolo talks to the players, I see the motivated guys. If their Milan can return to what once was, we need to start again with planning and rules, everyone does their own and manage not to look for excuses but to improve the Milan project.”
On Milan, he wants to see tomorrow: “A Milan with a great personality, who can continue to do what we do with personality and courage … I do not want to see a team that goes down to the first sign if defeat.”
On the most important thing taught by Ancelotti: “You think that he and I do not resemble each other’s character.” He changed when he became a coach. When he played in the field he changed, he was gritty, he was a player who never gave up. What has always surprised me is simplicity, it behaved like Rocco: since I stopped, I’ve never heard a footballer speak badly of Carlo, even those who did not play, he could talk to you with his heart in his hands, not he told lies, it was his luck that simplicity, it is difficult to copy him into the management of the group, he was a master.”
On the value of Higuain: “Andrè Silva has already scored three goals, we did not want to sell him, but he wanted to get away at all costs. When a player asks to leave, it is right to leave, but he is a good player for his age. It was important, last year we missed a lot of goal scoring opportunities, we hope it will not happen to Higuain, since May 20th he was one of the names that circulated with the old and the new owners.”
About what worries and what calms down after the preparation: “What makes me feel comfortable and knowing how hard we worked. In the player’s heads we are aware of being able to push but after we didn’t demonstrate what we as practiced, what happened in friendlies, such as to take avoidable goals. We have to improve on these aspects: in the friendlies, we have created a lot but it was hard to score.”
On the defeats: “It’s not easy, you need to have an identity … In recent years I do not know how many coaches have changed, six or seven when you change little each year and you can have chemistry which will help it work is easier. Everything is more complicated, one of the problems is this too.”
On the words of Sacchi, on Milan from the Scudetto: “He gave me a blow behind the neck, we are still far away but in perspective, if we look at the age, maybe we can get there.” Today the goal is to improve the position of last year and work hard to conquer fourth place.”
Gattuso was asked what is more difficult, starting the season from the beginning or taking over half way: “I do not know, having worked over 50 days with the team has allowed us to do what they wanted, to work on concepts that last year we had more effort to. We start against two strong teams, we have to look ahead, I know it will be a busy season but it will be positive.”
On how to win in Naples and Higuain’s advice: “I think only with Higuain we do not win anything, we need the team, he is a very high-quality football player, one of the ten strongest in the world. give him goals and the team cannot suffer and do a good job in all departments.”
About what has changed after the rally: “I am the happiest man in the world, I train a great team in a big company, I was born with the pressure, I was born a week, I live well, there are people who are worse than me. Many people envy me, they made me an important team, as Spalletti said, “I wanted the bike, now I pedal it, we can be stronger than last year, but it takes some time because when new players arrive, it takes time. We have little but this is a team that if we can do things quickly it’s strong.”
On the advantage of getting to know Ancelotti: “Something is trying to change, Napoli has its own identity, many players have been playing together for years, it’s trying to change but today’s Napoli still looks like Sarri’s, it has not touched percent, something is trying to change, they buy and sell a few players. Their ninety points of last year are no accident.”
On the challenge of Ancelotti: “I hope Milan will win, it will be a very difficult game. Yesterday morning we felt, as we have often done since I stopped asking me if I want mozzarella. You all know what we shared. He was more than a coach, some calls in times of difficulty I did it, it was a great relationship, apart from the player/coach, the relationship remained, he is the master but tomorrow we will play it in Naples.”
