Massimo Ambrosini believes that AC Milan must utilise not playing in European competitions to try gain an edge on rivals.
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Last season saw the Rossoneri finish eighth in the league, get dumped out of Europe by Feyenoord and lose the Coppa Italia final to Bologna. This led to a revolution in the management, with Igli Tare and Massimiliano Allegri arriving as sporting director and head coach respectively.
An overhauling of the squad has already begun too, with Tijjani Reijnders, Theo Hernandez and several loanees/expiring contracts heading out of the door. Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci, meanwhile, are the first pieces of the rebuild.
‘Milan must aim for top’
Interviewed by Quotidiano Sportivo, Ambrosini spoke about the season that awaits for Milan and whether they can hope for a resurgence given they have less commitments.
“Milan must start with the ambition of having to excel, or try to annoy whoever gets in front. A year without Europe allows you to recover in the best way and we saw it with Napoli last year,” he said (via MilanNews).
“The transfer market will also be important. The goal must be to stay at the top of the table, even if it won’t be easy.”
Ambrosini then also commented on the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso – his former team-mate in the Milan midfield – as the new coach of Italy.
“Rino is the right man in the right place. He will be able to transmit his passion for the Azzurri, his strength, his determination, but I don’t know.
“People often talk about him for his character and his communication style, neglecting the fact that he is a well-prepared coach, today I would even say experienced.
“He has had many experiences, in Italy and abroad, so Gattuso will also be an important technical value for Italy. Not an easy task, a demanding role in a particular historical phase, he will be observed in all the details.”