Maldini ‘satisfied’ with Milan’s UCL group and admits desire to ‘compete for something more’

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini is happy with the draw for the Champions League group stages on paper as he also recalled his memories of Istanbul.

Milan returned to the Champions League last season after a seven-year absence and were put in Pot 4 as a result of their damaged co-efficient, eventually finishing bottom of the group after drawing Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto.

After winning the Scudetto in 2021-22, Milan were placed in Pot 1 for the draw this time and while they face a very tough two ties against Chelsea, the other two teams Red Bull Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb are more manageable in theory.

Maldini spoke MilanTV in the immediate aftermath of the draw to give his thoughts on the opponents, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

“It is a group where we are seeded, therefore, on paper, it seems less difficult than last year. Then there are always pitfalls: there are strong teams, like Salzburg which does not have a great history but which is a difficult team to face and Zagreb, who we faced a few years ago in the preliminaries, and then there is Chelsea,” he said.

“The favourites are Milan and Chelsea. It is good to have a strong team in the group, it can simplify the qualification a little bit. It’s a group that satisfies us.

“The goal is to improve. Last year, in a difficult group, we finished fourth and therefore the goal is to qualify by finishing in the top two. It’s simple to say, then we will have to play and the field will say if we deserve it.

“What matters to us – team, club and fans – is to compete for something more and more important. Then comes the increase in the visibility of the brand, the sponsors, the players: Milan want to compete for something greater.”

The draw was held in Istanbul, a city that Maldini does not have great memories of after the 2005 final against Liverpool.

“Dreams help to have goals, to give the best for things that are out of reach. At this moment we are not yet ready to dream of something so big, but whoever faces us will not be happy to play against us.

“We have a story, a ready, technical team, an important stadium, but other teams have these things too, which, perhaps, have different material than ours, not so much in terms of the quality of the players, but in terms of willingness to plan an intermediate step. This, however, does not prevent us from being able to dream.”

Tags AC Milan Paolo Maldini

6 Comments

  1. Respect legend I feel you whoever’s play with us will never be happy I believe you sir here we go ♥️👭💪💪💪🤝 Forza Milan

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