AC Milan’s journey to the final eight of the Champions League after the Scudetto win last season has fans, pundits and the media asking how far this team can really go.
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MilanNews write how dreaming costs nothing and it is a natural thing to do given the history of the Rossoneri and the pedigree they have in European football’s top club competition, however a sense of realism is also needed when looking at the other teams remaining.
Paolo Maldini also affirmed this in an interview released the day after the game against Spurs in which he reflected on the successful passage into the quarters.
“There’s a sense of satisfaction and pride. We’re delighted with how far we’ve come. We spoke about our journey before the game and how we’ve arrived at this point,” he began.
“Obviously we can’t think that we’re now a stable fixture in the last eight. This certainly isn’t the case yet. However, now that we’re here we’ll go for it because you need to take opportunities when you get them.”
The Latin proverb ‘carpe diem’ or ‘seize the day’ feels befitting for this situation because while Stefano Pioli might not be the coach with the strongest squad at his disposal that is left in the Champions League, everything is possible.
“I have to say that we deserved it, the lads deserved it. It’s the first time that some of them have experienced this level. The fans deserve it. They have always been there, including in the difficult times,” Maldini added.
“Last season’s Scudetto made the extraordinary become almost a habit. We’re used to it, but we have to remember where we started from. An accustomed city, a club and fans accustomed to certain levels accelerate the growth and maturation of many kids.”
What we saw in London was a compact, organised, concentrated, determined and balanced team: all very useful qualities in knockout matches like the ones awaiting the Rossoneri in April. There is still a lack of attacking brilliance, but one must think back to the Scudetto run-in and how Milan won a lot of close games by the odd goal en-route to the title.
