AC Milan and their Primavera side both started the new year in a very good way, with the first team beating Salernitana and the youngsters earning a last-gasp point against Napoli. The latter, in this case, is the common denominator.
Milan beat Salernitana rater convincingly, even though the final score ended up being 2-1. And as Napoli lost against Inter, the Scudetto race is wide open again and you can take a look at the best betting offers for existing customers, if you’re interested in that.
The Primavera, meanwhile, managed to come from 2-0 behind against Napoli’s youth side to draw 2-2 thanks to a 97th (!) minute equaliser from Youns El Hilali. The latter impressed with Milan’s first team in Dubai and his importance is undeniable. Antonio Gala (pictured) scored the first of Milan’s goals.
While we are all well-informed about the first team and the current season, many of us probably don’t know much about the Primavera. Led by former Milan player Ignazio Abate, it has been a season with ups and downs, including some great success.
The Primavera, in fact, finished first in their UEFA Youth League group (ahead of Chelsea, Salzburg, Dinamo). And they did so convincingly, showing off what they are capable of after some tough games in the league.
With 16 points, the Rossoneri sit in 12th place which is far from where they really want to be. Abate is aware of this but there have been some promising signs this season, at least, unlike previous campaigns.
The progress in the UEFA Youth League is obviously a huge success for Abate and shows that he just needs time for his ideas to gel with this group domestically as well. The head of Milan’s youth sector, Angelo Carbone, spoke about the 36-year-old’s journey.
“His journey is special. Last year he did very well, he made the [U16] team grow by giving it an identity and proved to be an intelligent and capable coach. He earned the chance to coach the Primavera and we hope that his journey will be long and lasting.
“But it often happens that the AC Milan youth sector is also a reservoir for many technical figures and collaborators who then also reach the first team, creating that spirit of belonging that a great team must have,” he stated.
There are rather high hopes for some of the players that could be promoted to the first team, such as El Hilali and Chaka Traore. The likes of Coubis and Bozzolan have also done well when given the chance to train and play with the first team.
