The ex AC Milan legend praised to swedish player
Paolo Maldini, a really great figure in world football, now helps the team he loved and was loved from a completely different position, that of sports director. The old great left back, who over the years has developed into a great libero, sees his team AC Milan, for the first time since 2010 to be at the top of the league and to claim the title with great claims.
Milan, which has been going through difficult times since Silvio Berlusconi decided to leave the helm, is now leading the … race with 49 points, followed by Inter (47b) and Juventus (42b with two matches). less).
And Maldini may not be part of the Rossoneri game, but he also plays an important role in this year’s success of the Red Devils. The one who stands out once again despite being 39 years old is the Sweden, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The old man, the favorite of the fans all over the world, who remains an admirable force, who leads Milan higher and higher, something that of course Maldini admits: «Zlatan is a special personality».
However, the «architect» of this success is the technical director and old glory of the historical team, Paolo Maldini, who «revealed» the … secrets of success.
«We started last year with a coach, (s.s. Marco Giampaolo), with whom, unfortunately, the planning did not work. We thought he was a great coach, but he did not match our ideas. So we changed it during the season, in October. When this happens, it is normal for footballers to need time to adjust. After the defeat by Atalanta (s.s. 5-0, on December 22, 2019), the idea arose to frame the young people with players of high level and experience, such as Ibrahimovic and (Dane) Kiaer. The management responded positively and the first excellent results began to appear. At that time, there was a great upheaval in the world with the pandemic. «
6th place…
But Milan finished last season finishing in 6th place in the Italian league, where Zlatan once again showed that he is one of the keys to this success.
«Our team is the youngest in Italy and one of the youngest in Europe. Those who have played football know that young people need time and guidance, a positive example. «When we decided to make this choice with Zlatan, we tried to give a guide to the young people who are too young to take control of this team», stressed Maldini and continued: «A beautiful combination of experience and youth, is the recipe for the success of this new Milan. The idea is to be able to support yourself, alone with a different market. We are not going to get the best players, but we will probably look for young talents to make them grow in the club «.
As in the case of Theo Hernandez: «He had already won the Champions League with Real Madrid. He got lost a little. As we talked, I found a sensitive boy who was thirsty for revenge. I told him he had to work. I believed in him, the club believed in him. It was the most expensive market last year, along with Rafael Leao. His response on the pitch was excellent. I think he should be a key player in the French national team «.
Back to the UEFA Champions League
According to Paolo Maldini, the primary goal for this year is to return to the UEFA Champions League, but without ignoring the title claim: «We have problems with contract renewals, as all clubs have. We have several players at the end of their contracts, such as Ibrahimovic and Donnarumma (Goalkeeper), while several others will be free in 2022. We are in the process of finding solutions. These are important players. They are professionals and we hope to keep them all. «
Regarding the special case of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Maldini comments: «I do not know what will happen. We tried to get him in 2018, but he had a contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. When his transfer ended, we tried to offer him more than the 6 months of the original proposal. But he told us that he wanted to see how his body would respond and how he would react in a league with such a high level. «With what he does on the pitch, I do not understand why he will not be able to play with us next year.«
And of course the negotiations have already started so that the tall Swedish striker can renew his contract with Milan for another year…
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