AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini has insisted that he believes the team can reach top four, and it would be a ‘great sin’ if they didn’t.
Milan have found themselves in a do or die situation, knowing only a win will be enough to secure a top four finish after a rollercoaster season. The draw against Cagliari a week ago has meant that Milan could potentially even be classed as the underdogs to reach the top four given the recent record against Atalanta and the fact that both Juventus and Napoli have easier fixtures.
Maldini was interviewed by Sky Italia before the game against Atalanta, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews and translated below.
A circle that closes with Atalanta: “We had the opportunity to close it earlier, symbolically it is the closing of a circle that saw us as protagonists of 15 months of high quality and great results. At the end of the year, based on the placement we will make more complete speeches.”
Pioli recently remarked that not reaching the top four would not be a failure for the club because the good work remains regardless, however it seems Maldini has a different idea.
“The club has asked us for many things and we have practically done them all. Not reaching the Champions League would be a great sin, even if the club did not ask for it.
“The good and even less good things about having a young team are these, they can give you great surprises or less positive things. A team that has to become really strong must become much more stable. We still have to work on this.”
On the fans: “Milan with the fans would have had 60-70 thousand spectators. They would have been a great help.”
Do you believe? “Of course. We started from very far away, we also did unexpected things, of course I have to believe in it. This is the message to be transmitted to the boys who in turn believe in it.”