A single point would have been enough, but in the end three arrived and AC Milan confirmed their place in the 2023-24 Champions League with a win over Juventus last night.
As reported this morning by Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews), securing a spot in next year’s edition of the top club competition adds another €50m to the club’s accounts, which will have to be used to further strengthen the Milan squad.
In truth, Milan obtained a full haul of points last night with minimal effort. The match itself was far from pleasing on the eye as it was played at a low pace with many mistakes, but the end result is what matters most.
The hero of the evening was Olivier Giroud, who is always there in the big games. In the 40th minute a cross from Davide Calabria on the right met the Frenchman, who detached himself from Federico Gatti’s marking and nodded it back across goal into the far corner.
However, a third straight Champions League berth cannot be the end goal for Milan, who must keep moving forward. In yesterday’s post-match interview with DAZN, Stefano Pioli was quite clear.
“If we want to be competitive both in Italy and in Europe, the team needs to improv , young or old it doesn’t matter, the club has to decide,” he said.
“If you focus on young players, you have to wait or it is useless, I always give the examples of Leao and Tonali. I think the club should take its idea forward, it’s a virtuous project. In the league we gave less than we could, but this goal is beautiful.”
The money from the Champions League will be very useful for Milan to strengthen themselves especially in the middle of the pitch and in attack.
