AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini spoke about the decision to change to a three-man defence and confirmed he met with owner Gerry Cardinale today.
Maldini spoke before the Champions League last 16 first leg game against Spurs at San Siro tonight, which represents the Rossoneri’s first UCL knockout game at home since the 2013-14 season when they faced Atletico Madrid.
The director was interviewed by SportMediaset and began by explaining what it means to have such a big night and a huge occasion back at San Siro, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“There’s great satisfaction for the crowd. We’ve found a symbiosis that has yielded great results over the years,” he said.
Maldini was also asked for an update on the renewal of Rafael Leao, but he did not give much away: “The will is still the same. Today, however, we must only think about the match.”
Paolo spent most if his Milan career defending as part of a back four, but Pioli has decided to go with a three-man rearguard for the last three games now.
“Europe is difficult, the gap with the others, especially from an economic point of view, is enormous. I would have liked to get to this match with fewer injuries. The change in formation was dictated by the moment. This Milan are slightly down compared to the one that won the Scudetto last year,” he said.
“It’s normal in a course to have ups and downs. We’ve lost the chance to win two of the four competitions available. Beyond the formation, we must be aggressive, we must not distort our nature.”
Finally, Maldini confirmed that he met with owner Gerry Cardinale today to discuss the project moving forward, one that he has faith in.
“I saw him today at lunch, everything went well. It is unthinkable to reduce the gap with the others [top clubs in Europe] in a few years. We believe in the project, but it takes time. We have to find a balance, expectations are high, we know to have great responsibilities.”
Maldini also spoke to Sky, and was asked if superheroes are needed for the Champions League nights like this.
“Pioli’s words are nice, I’m at Milanello every day and I try to give my contribution for everything I’ve experienced with this fantastic shirt. The level is very high, we get there after a long time and unfortunately in a moment where we are not in great shape, not very convincing and with a few injuries too many. We play a lot, it will be a very delicate match. We want to keep the game open and then play for the tie in the second leg.”
Today you met Cardinale: “I won’t tell you what we said, we hadn’t seen each other for a long time. We talked about many things, we updated on the moment and we talked about this game.”
On the negotiation for Giroud’s renewal, will Cardinale also remain for the usual photos? “Tomorrow the Cardinal is leaving, there won’t be time. Right now the players have to concentrate on the important competition, we have fought for 3-4 years to be here.”
On the three-man defence: “I join in wishing Zaccheroni well, let’s hope he’s getting better and better, we’re very close to him. Three or five-man defence, everyone sees it as they want, is at this moment a way of uniting us.
“What we have done in this month and a half has not given us the solidity that we have had in the last two years. The system is not important, but how you interpret the system, we must not forget what were the weapons that brought us here, aggression and courage.”
On Thiaw: “I never know if words can be positive or add tension. I’ve talked to him a lot in recent months, I’ve seen his growth and I told him not to give up. Both he and Vranckx are very young and are improving day by day. Against Torino he showed that he has many qualities, today we will also find out from an emotional point of view.”
Couldn’t you re-sign for the month ahead? “If you saw me walking you’d know it’s not for me. The ball seems so heavy to me that I could break something. What happened happened, and it was beautiful (laughs).
“We are in a moment where the click to go back to what we were doesn’t come overnight, it will take time. Unfortunately or fortunately, we have fundamental matches, we have the opportunity to get back to who we were.”
