Davide Calabria left AC Milan in the January mercato, and the full-back, today, has compared his current surroundings to the ones where he won the Scudetto in 2022.
One of the most important parts of success in sport is the atmosphere. As cliche as it is, players do not play well in an environment where it is not rewarded, or where there is a constant toxicity surrounding it.
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So, cultivating a positive place to work is paramount for clubs to do. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why Milan are struggling so much at the moment, due to the constant pressure on the team.
Nevertheless, with these positive environments, results normally follow, and today Calabria has made a bold claim about the current atmosphere at Bologna, and his decision to leave Milan when speaking to Repubblica, via Milan News.
Is it true that in just two months you have already decided you want to stay in Bologna?
“Yes, I feel very comfortable and that is the orientation on my part. Then there are so many variables, and it is all to be done, maybe it will be the president who wakes up one morning and no longer wants me. I am there.
What has won you over about Bologna?
“The environment. It reminds me of Milan when they won the Scudetto with Pioli. There’s that same energy around the team, and it’s not something easy to create. I needed a situation like that. I hadn’t changed teams since I was ten years old, and it didn’t weigh on me; there are super guys here.
“The group is top, the club is well organised and everything works even behind the scenes, where you build the conditions to play well. Bologna is an increasingly difficult team to play against.
The choice to come to Bologna?
“I could have stayed at AC Milan without any problems. I chose to come here because Bologna sought me out strongly and convinced me in a short time.”
Perhaps, some of his words can be interpreted as a reflection of some of the faults of the Rossoneri’s atmosphere, but unless that is stated outwardly, we can only guess.
sorry , you’re better than walker at Milan, calabria.
and you’re at a better club than Milan, for sure (hint: ranking)
Well, Davide, that’s because during the scudetto season, there were actual leaders in the locker room. Men like Kjaer, Ibra, Giroud, Kessie, Romagnoli.
Unlike this season, where the “leaders” in the locker room were YOU, Theo, Leao, Tomori, and Maignan.
Trying to blame this on Davide at all is crazy🤡
🤡!!!
Milan lacks leadership, character and mentality. Wasn’t Calabria the captain of the team that lacks all that? The troops take on the character of their leader.
And last I checked he captained us to 2nd last year. Where are we now again????? Oh ya, 9th… 5 spots behind the team we sold him to
Mike was the captain this season even when Davide started. Still scapegoating someone who is no longer at the club smh
You sniffing too much of Cardinale’s crap stain ass.
With him as the captain, we technically never dropped below the UCL qualifying spot (except perhaps for the 2022/23 season where we managed the reach the UCL semi-finals though). He is no Baresi, Maldini, Gerrard or Puyol but he fullfilled his duty
This season he was undermined and the management made it CLEAR that he was no longer wanted and under Conceição even when he played he was no longer the captain. Coupled with the management’s lack of presence and all the mayhem that is currently in the team, I don’t understand how do you expect the team to maintain some sort of a cohesion and winning mentality even with him on pitch or the locker room.
Erm Calabria was THE leader. He captained the side in the run in with Romagnoli dropped.
And we got rid of him for Emerson and walker…
Ibra Furlani and Moncada should have to pay those 2’s wages out of their own pockets as punishment for how useless these decisions were. Hopeless management
I’m happy for him. Must be a relieve leaving such toxic environment and atmosphere RedBird created and go to an actually ambitious, well organized and ran club Bologna are currently.
@Maldini’s Heir is going to be all over this article.
Calabria’s exit was pretty poor all round from the club.
Obviously I’m not privy to what happened on the inside.
But here is a guy who has given great service to the club. Whilst not an elite RB he is decent and was an academy player who can hold down a starting place. They are like hens teeth.
We keep trying to replace him with imports that are no better, probably worse. Emerson definitely worse Walker was better at a point in time but is now almost 35 in a position that requires pace.
Fonseca seemed to lack confidence in him. Conceicao even more so. To the point where he literally tried to fight him on the field post game.
There were serious grounds to dismiss Conceicao after that incident. Had he not just won the Super Cup just prior then he could well have been fired.
Perhaps should have been.
Managment had made it clear for a long time that they did not want to extend his contract. So a few weeks later and his is forced out to Bologna.
All up. I can see why he is happier there.
Nice summary although:
1. no idea what makes someone ‘elite – apparently captaining a Scudetto doesn’t count!
2. It’s quite clear he was being forced out of the club thus Fonseca and Conceicao didn’t play him
One of the reasons I go on about Calabria is because his treatment sums up everything that’s wrong with the club.
There’s 18 former players playing for teams above them in the table including 5 potential RBs!
All of those were let go because they weren’t considered ‘elite’.
And the club and fans reject any notion of ‘sentiment’ aka loyalty, decency and respect which are all things required to build a team.
You simply can’t have a team where the club treats the most senior players with contempt.
By ‘elite’ I am meaning someone who would be routinely selected for a national team like that of Italy.
Not many Italian head coaches have thought he was at that level.
Many of his team mates are of a level where their national team bosses do routinely pick them.
That was point I was making really in describing him as not elite
Neither Rossi nor Panucci were selected for the 94 World Cup despite Milan conceding 16 goals that season in Serie A and Rossi breaking the then record for most consecutive clean sheets.
There’s numerous examples of players playing for top teams who for whatever reason didn’t get called up for the national team.
The response from Milan and every fan should’ve been to back the captain and criticise the Italy managers.
It’s us v them.
First Sergio fights him in front of whole world to see then Ibra forces him out using his “ibra tone”.
That’s what a loyal servant of 10 years gets in this club. That’s how much you are worth to these corporate thugs. Coming from being a family to corporate asset.
The age of AC Milan was over the moment this Wall Street greaseball took over with “the American dream” business model.