Monza boss Raffaele Palladino has revealed that he fears several of Milan players and was also full of praise for Stefano Pioli ahead of tomorrow’s meeting.
Milan have already got the better of Monza once this season as they emerged 4-1 victors at San Siro thanks to a brace for Brahim Diaz, and they are looking to do the league double against a team run by people they know well.
Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani are in charge at Monza and they spent over 30 years at the helm of Milan too, winning virtually every trophy available and taking the Rossoneri to the very top of world football, yet tomorrow they welcome Milan as an opponent.
Palladino spoke at his pre-match press conference on the eve of the game against Milan, with his comments relayed by TMW.
What do you not want to do compared to the first game against Milan?
“You must always have ambitions, we will try to compete with everyone. In the first games we played a good game with individual mistakes and that’s why I’m calm. Individual mistakes were also made against Bologna, not repeated in the second game. I expect the same with Milan and a great performance, aware of the fact that we will face a great team, full of champions, who we will try to put in difficulty.”
How’s the team doing?
“The conditions are excellent, we’ve worked well and we’re happy. There are still two training sessions to go. Carlos Augusto unfortunately won’t recover, neither will Vignato.”
Could you switch to a four-man defence?
“It could be a solution, even during the game: I like being chameleonic and the team likes it. We know that Milan have changed their system, finding defensive compactness; they are a team in better health now. We must be ready for anything We are excited, we have great stimuli and a great desire to take the field.”
Have you heard from President Berlusconi?
“No. We know that this match for Berlusconi and Galliani can’t be like any other, they are very attached to Milan for 31 years of victories and tomorrow will be an exciting match for everyone. But for us it’s a daily stimulus: it stimulates us to give our best, the company is ambitious and helps us to always give our best. We will try to give them satisfaction.”
Are you afraid of Ibrahimovic’s return to the field?
“I had the pleasure of meeting him as a teammate at Juventus in 2006. An extraordinary boy, I had a good relationship with him. I really like him as a person and as a footballer. Of course I fear him, but I fear all of Milan: Leao, Theo, and overall they are well well by Pioli.”
What does it mean for you to compete with the Italian champions?
“Everything I’m experiencing is beautiful, unexpected; it’s a wonderful stimulus to face the coach of the Italian champions. In this job, you must never stop learning from everyone and anyone.”
How will he limit Leao?
“When Leao sets off, you need a scooter to catch him… He’s an extraordinary player, very strong, I like him a lot… I like those imaginative players who shift the balance a bit. We’ll try to stop him as a team as we’ve always done with strong opponents.”
What do you admire most about Pioli?
“A very good coach and a very good person. There is always something to learn from everyone and I always try to steal secrets from everyone.”
All coaches fear Leao. Veteran players like Rio Ferdinand (before the CL match) speak of how difficult it is to defend such a player; commentators rave how such a special talent he is drawing double and triple teams – yet still some Milan fans don’t respect him and want him sold for peanuts (40M @bb)???? Lol. Unreal. We will all be sorry when he is gone. And the those dreaming of a sale so as to get a huge cash infusion to spend on new players to take his place and fill holes in the squad will be sorely disappointed when ownership instead pockets the majority of the $$ and gives the SAME small budget to work with. Be careful what you wish for my friends.