Baresi discusses Tomori, Leao, Tonali, Maldini’s debut and Pioli-Ancelotti comparisons

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan’s honorary vice president Franco Baresi has taken a look back to the mid 1980s as part of the club’s official away kit launch.

AC Milan and PUMA released the away kit for the 2022-23 season earlier today and it features seven horizontal pinstripes which are inspired by the Rossoneri’s seven Champions League titles but also the 1984-85 kit too, which has a similar design.

CBS Sports spoke to Baresi, who was a player during that 1984-85 season, which ended with the Rossoneri finished fifth in Serie A and losing the Coppa Italia final against Sampdoria, but it is nonetheless a campaign that provokes positive memories.

“I remember very well that season, when Nils Liedholm came back after five years. It was a moment of change in the game, in our way of thinking. We started to play a zone defence, it became our fortune. We were the first ones to do it in Serie A, there was a lot of excitement,” he said.

Liedholm gave a 16-year-old defender called Paolo Maldini his debut in January of 1985, and he would go on to form part of arguably the best defence Italian football has ever seen alongside Baresi.

“Another intuition of Liedholm. Maldini demonstrated immediately that he had qualities,” Baresi said. “He played the second half of the match against Udinese on and went on to become one of the greatest players of our club.”

Baresi also went on to talk about how much the role of centre-back has changed since he was a player, as perhaps demonstrated perfectly by today’s Milan and their high aggressive line.

“Today the defenders play the ball from the back, they start the attacking action. It improved the quality of the game in general. Tomori? He surprised everyone. When he arrived, he immediately showed who he was. He was very good to impose himself with his personality in our club and also showed how good he is in the one vs. one with the strikers. He’s one of the strengths of the roster.”

Sandro Tonali, Rafael Leao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were all praised by Baresi for their role in Milan’s Scudetto triumph last season, which ended an 11-year drought.

“I think Sandro is a very humble young player. Maybe he had some issues at the beginning, but then he worked hard and now he has the right spirit and embraces the values of the club. With his style of playing but also for his attitude off the pitch, he played an incredible season,” Baresi said.

“I think he can become a point of reference for the future. It is always nice to see a club like AC Milan include young Italian players in the roster. They carry a positive example for the others, they know the values of the club, also for the fans it’s nice to support these players.

“Rafael Leao developed a lot and improved. In the past season, he showed more continuity on the pitch. Everyone knows his qualities and he proved it, but I also think he can do even more, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is crucial not only when he plays but also when he doesn’t play because he conveys confidence and courage to the whole dressing room. Even if he’s not that young anymore, if he plays, he can do something good for the whole group.”

Baresi also spoke about the impact that Stefano Pioli has had as a head coach, winning his first major trophy with the Rossoneri and helping to bring a young group together.

“He was very important in bringing the dressing room together in the most difficult times, especially during the pandemic. I think he has something of Carlo Ancelotti for his calmness and also for the relationships with his players,” Baresi said.

“We come from a great season after we won the Scudetto, we will be back playing Champions League soccer with more confidence and our target is to improve the performances outside Italy. This year, there is a World Cup in the middle of the season, we need to be prepared for that, for the players who will play the competition but also for those who will stay here and train.”

Tags AC Milan Fikayo Tomori Franco Baresi Rafael Leao Sandro Tonali Stefano Pioli Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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