Ruud Gullit believes that AC Milan are not finding things as easy as they did last year and urged fans and the media to be patient with Charles De Ketelaere.
Gullit is a man who knows what it takes and what it means to win with Milan, even though more than 35 years have passed since the beginning of his adventure with the Rossoneri. It was back in the summer of 1987 when Silvio Berlusconi was president and Arrigo Sacchi was the head coach that he was lured to Italy.
For obvious reasons the Dutchman still keeps an eye on Serie A and Milan in particular to see how they are getting on, even though the club and the league are not at the peak of their powers as they were in the late 1980s into the 1990s as he remembers.
La Gazzetta dello Sport spoke with Gullit about Milan’s campaign after the Scudetto win and the struggles of a player like De Ketelaere who joined in the summer but is finding it difficult to make a contribution.
How do you judge Milan’s season so far?
“It’s difficult. They’re fighting and suffering. I’d say that so far everything hasn’t been as easy as it was last year. Maybe because in 2021-22 everything went in the right direction, while in this first part of the season the results weren’t as expected. In football, however, you never know: in the Champions League, the Rossoneri won the first leg of the round of 16 against Tottenham… Let’s see how it ends.”
What chances do the Italian sides have of going through?
“It’s hard to say. In my day all the best players were in Italy, while now they’re in Spain and England. The Champions League is a tough competition for the Italians. So far they’ve done well because I remain convinced that Serie A plays a lot football, but when you need a ‘spark’, only footballers with particular qualities can give you that.”
One of these had to be De Ketelaere who instead is struggling in the Rossoneri. Is it right to wait for him?
“The Belgian is young and a great talent. Italian football isn’t easy and you have to understand its difficulties, adapt to tactics. He started well, but then got lost a bit. I’m convinced that if they give him time and confidence it will do well.”
Do you still remember that goal they disallowed for offside in the 1988-89 Champions League semi-final at the Bernabeu?
“What offside?! It was an absolutely legitimate goal, but then there were decisions in your favour and against. You had to accept that it happened. And, then, in Madrid there were often decisions against… After the first leg was 1-1, we showed our value in the 5-0 home win.”
