Although among the AC Milan management the trust in Stefano Pioli’s work remains, the name of Antonio Conte continues to orbit menacingly in the media.
The newspaper La Repubblica (via Radio Rossonera) this morning talks about how Conte’s interview with The Telegraph could be considered as a way to send a message to potential employers, including Milan owner Gerry Cardinale.
“If the final target is to win the league and lift trophies, it’s important to offer entertainment to the crowd. But to be only an entertaining team is not enough if you want to win. I know because I coached the top teams and they always asked to win,” he said.
“For me, now it’s impossible to work for an only entertainment team because the expectation is always that you have to win.
“I love my past, but at the same time the expectation you bring is always very high and if you don’t win, you have failed. The best possible option is to entertain and win. And to be celebrated, I have to win. Otherwise, the others are waiting to celebrate my failure. This is the truth.”
Today’s edition of La Repubblica talked about this interview given by Conte and they state that it is a message most likely directed at Cardinale.
In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about the future of Conte and whether he might end up back in Italy, and he is outlining his pre-requisites to take the next job.
He will not marry a project unless it is an ambitious one that has winning trophies as the end goal, as well as playing attractive football in order to do so.
The paper states: ‘Conte meanwhile pointed out to the Telegraph that his next team will not only have to entertain, but win. Who knows, maybe it’s a message for Gerry Cardinale, announced as being in the stands [this evening for Milan-Rennes, ed]’.
