Albertini talks Conceicao, Boban’s words and why Coppa Italia would not save Milan’s season | OneFootball

Demetrio Albertini has claimed that winning the Coppa Italia would not save the season for AC Milan, given how bad they have been in the league.

There are few players who know what it means to represent Milan quite like Albertini. He spent his youth career with the Rossoneri, as well as the first 14 years of his senior career, winning 11 trophies including five Scudetti and the Champions League.

Since 2019, Albertini has been working as the President of the Technical Sector at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), but that era has now come to an end. The former Milan man resigned from his position recently and he has been linked with a return to Milan, as a director of sorts.

Albertini never won the Italian cup during his long tenure with Milan, and he spoke to MilanNews on the eve of the game to preview a clash between two sides looking to end a Coppa drought.

What kind of final should we expect?

“I think we will see a good final, in the sense that Milan showed in the last round that they have some quality. What has been missing this season is continuity, but in the one-off matches the team has played very well, Bologna has done extraordinary things, surpassing last year’s season, on a sporting level.”

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Where do you see the balance tipping?

“In a final, the odds are of little importance. I won Champions Leagues as an underdog and lost as a favorite. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who are the favourites, but which Milan we will see on the pitch. And this year we have seen a lot of Milan while Bologna has had more or less a regular performance.”

Milan seems to have found a solution with the 3-4-3…

“I wouldn’t put it so much on the new systems stem but on the fact that Conceiçao had time to get to know the players and made some choices. At the beginning he was always changing players in the starting line-up, now there is a group that plays more or less always with consistency.

“Some difficult choices were made and this has given a different imprint. I would say that the interpretation of the module counts more, the context and what you build in the group counts.

“And let’s not forget that changing in January is not so simple, inserting players into a group that has been working since the summer is not simple.”

Milan have not won the Coppa Italia since 2003, and before that it was 1977. Is it a competition they have snubbed?

“Snubbed no, never. Certainly in the Coppa Italia those who played less often played to give the game rhythm. But even in my Milan the so-called reserves were not reserves. It’s true that in my career at Milan the only thing missing is the Coppa Italia.

“I managed to win it then with Lazio. Let’s put it this way: as it has always been said that Milan’s home is the Champions League, we can say that the Coppa Italia was an away game.”

Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images

The impression is that in recent years the cup has acquired greater appeal…

“I have to say, as a director: the Lega has built a very important event in Rome with the Coppa Italia final. This didn’t exist years ago and I have to say that as a footballer, I would like to participate in this event.

“It is a mistake to snub it and yes, it is a competition that has been given prestige. If I had to add one thing, I would like the start of the tournament to be extended to other teams, not just Serie A. As they do in other countries.”

The television audience would not agree, looking at the share of Empoli-Bologna and Milan-Inter…

“It’s not just the share, but objectively there are many, too many matches. The calendar is clogged. For this reason I don’t think it’s possible.”

Can the Coppa Italia be enough to save the season?

“Not for me. I hope that Milan can lift the cup and celebrate, because winning is always difficult, but I believe that Milan in its history cannot be so far from its objectives and not think of the fans at the stadium who go for a goal every day. It is not acceptable.”

The ownership is considered the number one culprit of the situation. In a recent interview, Zvonimir Boban spoke of a lack of Milanismo due to the choice of the owners…

“Knowing many non-football companies in finance and business, I see that everyone is trying to create a very important work context. The football club is an atypical company, even in terms of investment. And the sense of belonging is a value.

“It seems to me a mistake not to take it into account, not to value the sense of belonging. And it’s not just putting former footballers in the club, but building a context with a philosophy, mentality and values ​​that today I don’t recognise, I don’t see.

“In the past, there was a passing down of values ​​from generation to generation, from player to player. Now I don’t see this. It’s a side dish, maybe, but it makes the difference.

“After all, not all players express themselves in the same way from one team to another, so being able to prevent and value the performance doesn’t depend on the player but also on the context.”

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Does Conceiçao deserve to stay at Milan?

“I am totally respectful towards the club and I abide by its decisions. The most difficult thing for a manager is to evaluate the work of a coach beyond the results. If we said before that it is not easy for a group of players to be included in the January transfer window, imagine the coach.

“He must have his time. Of course, the judgment towards a coach is conditioned by the results but I trust that the club will make the best choice.”

Did you like Conceiçao?

“He didn’t have an easy task.”

Paradoxically, he could leave with two titles won…

“I don’t want to snub the two cups, in case he were to win the Coppa Italia too. But as a Milan fan, thinking that in December you stopped fighting for the Scudetto and in February you stopped fighting for fourth place doesn’t make me happy.

“Then there’s one paradoxical fact, that is, that in a season you won’t remember if you came 3rd or 7th, but you will remember what you won.”

Over the years, the Supercoppa has often been considered a minor trophy…

“Let’s say that winning it was worth a lot and losing it was worth little. But lifting a cup is always difficult and above all it is a journey of work: winning the Supercoppa means having achieved it by winning a title or the cup. In my day, you felt it, anyway, even if let’s say it was a collateral event.”

Was there ever a chance of you returning to Milan?

“Nobody ever called me. For my part, I have always been in the Federation until a month and a half ago, so I can say I have done my job.”

Manchester City have their eye on Reijnders: should they start over with him or also consider crazy offers?

“It depends on the project, whether it’s to improve or to start over from 0-0. If they decide to make few investments, it would be right to sell him, also because we’re talking about certain clubs that can give you a lot of money. If you want to build something, you have to keep him.”