AC Milan’s Primavera side finished third in the second Memorial Mamma e Papa Cairo tournament as they beat Juventus yesterday.
Milan were sent into a third/fourth place play-off against Juve after losing in the previous game against Torino – one that Francesco Camarda scored in – and the Rossoneri beat Juventus 1-0 thanks to Scotti’s goal six minutes into the second half.
After the game, head coach Ignazio Abate spoke to Milan TV to reflect on the performance but above all how preseason preparations are going for his side, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
On the pre-season: “Certainly after the training camp where we put so much in from a physical point of view, with a lot of workloads, we had some very good friendlies.
“I was looking for answers against two teams we will face in the league. They were two very difficult matches. Yesterday against Torino, an intense team that plays full-pitch press, we kept up the fight and did a very good second half.”
On the match against Juve: “We didn’t show enough at first, it was a match to fight for every ball and we were too light. In the second we put a different mentality and another spirit, some good plots also came out.
“I’m happy that we didn’t concede goals but we understood what it takes in the league to get points: it was a real game in which spirits rose a bit.”
On rotations: “Today we’ve changed a lot, also giving space to many young guys who are in their first year with us: there were two 2007s [born in] and a 2008 in the field, as well as many 2006s.
“We need to find a more solid and precise identity but the boys kept the field well, tidy. In the first half, I repeat, too many mistakes and instead in the second half I saw a more solid and compact team, who knew what they wanted and played the game that needed to be played.”
On future plans: “Now let’s take a break for a day and then we’ll have two good friendlies in Seville and we’re ready for the season.”
An intriguing campaign awaits for Abate’s side as they must try and replicate their impressive run to the final four of the UEFA Youth League but try and fare better in the league, where they were in a relegation battle for most of last season.
