Here are the main statements made today by Mr. Massimiliano Allegri and Clarence Seedorf in the press conference ahead of Milan-Barcelona:
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI
"I’d say that the loss of Cassano is a big loss for us because he was doing great things and right now, we miss him. We have Pato back though and that’s important, another important player back. Tomorrow should be a great game against the team that at the moment is the best in the world.
We’ll have to show respect for that and we’ll have to play to Milan’s standards. Tomorrow the top spot in the group is up for grabs and we’ll need a big performance, very intense and technically very good especially from a defensive point of view and we’ll have to do more and better than we did in Barcelona.
Ibrahimovic is fine. He can’t wait for the game like all the others. We need to keep calm until tomorrow evening and the from the kick off, we’ll have to play 100 minutes of really intense football, with lots of respect for Barcelona but without being reverential towards them.
The first leg was a strange game. We took the lead immediately and strangely we had more chances in the first 20 minutes that Barcelona had I the whole game. The players did wll to close down spaces and defended well. We had three of four chances in the first half that we should have done better with. In some moments tomorrow, we’ll have to have the patience to deal with their ball possession but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Up front won’t be up to only that striker but to the whole team. We’ll have to improve our defence compared to how we did at Barcelona and that’ll be up to the while team.
I’ll have to choose the formation based on who plays up front tomorrow evening.
We played well against Fiorentina, played very well in some parts of the game. We created a lot of chances and we got a lot of shots off. We could have got more men in the box and sometimes we lacked the final touch. It’s not strange that the result from the first leg helps the self-esteem of the team. This team has always been able to read the game as best as can be done as they did on Barcelona and it could happen again tomorrow.
We shouldn’t have any difficulties in Barcelona we showed that we conceded little or nothing. I spoke with the President and I think he’ll be at the stadium tomorrow and that’s an important piece of news.
We’ll have to be able to read the game tomorrow. When we can attack, we’ll attack. When we have to the ball we’ll have to defend well.
Iniesta is an extraordinary player as is Xavi and they always looks as if they have a numerical advantage. The important thing about the game tomorrow is to get to the top spot. As for the draw I don’t know… anything can happen. Tomorrow is an important evening, a fascinating game and we’ll do everything to win or at least to put in a good performance.
CLARENCE SEEDORF
"For Milan, the first objective is to get onto the pitch to win, even if tomorrow I think there are a lot of other things in play than the win which would be great for us. We’re up against the best team in the world and we have total respect for them and we have to optimise this opportunity to grow and also to look for a result as Milan have to do. I think these games are always spectacular as these two clubs have made history in football. On the pitch maybe the Spanish league puts on a better show but the Italian league has won more and in the end I think that’s the real show. A game between two team who know what it means to win and have the winning mentality.
Obviously the Champions League is special for me and for everyone, it’s the big one and it’s there to win. After the disappointment of last year there is the desire to do better this year. I think it’s right to dream, to have ambitions and to aim high and win. We have the means to do it and. Of course we have to grow but the fact that we have already qualified means something.
The first leg was the first game of the group stage and not many people would have bet on a draw. This result pushed us forward and gave us the conviction that we started better than last season. We’re better than last year and playing against the biggest teams is a great chance to grow. Honestly, I wasn’t happy with our performance against Barcelona, we know how to play better. But you have to look at the glass as half full and the result combined with the team that we played against made it a good game. Defending is an art and we defended well.
All the games I’ve played in Europe are special. In the last five years, Barcelona have showed themselves to be the best team in the world. We should congratulate them for that but Milan have to play this game in the best way possible. It’s always a pleasure to watch Messi play.
I think Guardiola is a very intelligent man and that his reaction would have been very calm. I know Ibra wants to play and to show his worth but I don’t think it’s any more than that.
I prefer not to talk about Mourinho. Real Madrid have grown a lot since last year and now La Lega is much more balanced. Barcelona are favourites because they won last year but Real are doing very well. I think tomorrow that it’s prestigious for the club to finish in top spot and economically that’s important.”/acmilan.com/
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