Luca Serafini has stressed the importance of AC Milan focusing on the league even moreso than the semi-finals of the Champions League in view of tomorrow’s game against Roma.
Milan have found themselves in an interesting and quite difficult position. A Champions League semi against Inter looms next month, yet the team are not even guaranteed of a spot in the competition for next season given they are only in the top four on goal difference.
Tomorrow, Roma are the opponents. The game earlier this season still haunts Milan, as they were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Pierre Kalulu and Tommaso Pobega before collapsing in the final minutes as Roma stole a 2-2 draw.
That result sparked a seven-game winless run for the Diavolo that not only derailed any shot at a Scudetto defence but threw a top four spot into jeopardy, and the battle is still raging on now.
Serafini spoke during his usual weekly editorial for MilanNews about the notion of Milan being able to balance the two competitions they have left, with a major season objective at stake.
“For weeks I’ve been trying to repeat, changing the terms, a concept that seems very simple to me: the league is more important than the Champions League because it allows you to play in it again, but this doesn’t mean making a choice,” he began.
“If anything, it’s an attempt to spur the team on a path that, in Italy, has proved tortuous, uphill, more for the attitude than for the absolute values.
“The league is more important because if you reach the two-legged semi-final in a position in the table that reflects the objectives, therefore the result of a string of positive results, confidence, self-esteem and enthusiasm will increase.
“This is why Roma and Roma are the best benches: against Mourinho at the San Siro, the Rossoneri played one of their best matches of the season, but it is precisely that traumatic result that generated a series of very heavy blows.
“It is not a question of revenge, albeit sporting, but of confirmation. You have the opportunity to extend (points and goal difference) against a direct and fierce competitor, also taking advantage of the clash at San Siro between Inter and Lazio. These are Milan’s matches, these are the matches in which the attitude has rarely failed.”
