Shortly after the end of last season, Christian Abbiati decided to abandon the role of club manager at Milan and step down. In an interview with Gazzetta, he spoke about his time with the club.
On how he feels: “Most of the time I went home angry. Not having continued is something that stays with me: Mirabelli had proposed the renewal but I refused. I could also not see myself in a jacket or shirt …”
On the Chinese era: “My mistake was to make comparisons with the old Milan, where I had certain reference points. With the Chinese, on the other hand, there was a lot of confusion in the management field. A smoky organization that tried to get through perfect. The way it’s ended does not surprise me and how things were going, it’s better that it’s over.”
On Gattuso: “My point of reference was Gattuso. The goal was to reset Milanello as it once was, with precise rules of behaviour. However, Rino is a phenomenon. He surprised me a lot as a coach, he was able to get into the players’ heads, stimulating and motivating them. With these generations, it’s not easy. I recommend Elliott to keep it like that.”
On Montella: “Montella? It was a half disaster. It went bad because he did not trust anyone.”
On the returns of Leonardo and Maldini: “Maldini and Leonardo are two friends and two great professionals, who can do their job well. They are the right men to rebuild because they know Milan very well. For Milan, I absolutely wanted to see him there and when Leo arrived I said to myself: ‘Now Paolo arrives too’.”
