"We're Building The Right Team With The Right Spirit That Helps Even When We're Not Playing Well”

Written By Onyeka Daniel

After missing out on European football for the upcoming season, it is going to be an era of new beginnings for Italian giants, AC Milan as they look to start from the scratch ahead of the upcoming season under Massimiliano Allegri, who replaced Sergio Conceiçao on the bench.

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So far, they’ve played two pre-season friendly games, which is against English Premier league opponents, losing by lone goal to Arsenal before getting an impressive 4-2 win over Liverpool few days later, where we saw Allegri’s new counter-attacking football on display.

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At the center of it all is Rafael Leao, who is playing as a striker, a role he seems to be excelling at. For the Portuguese star, he has now told the press that “everything has changed” at Milan with the arrival of the new manager, as he claims that “this year Milan will be a real team.”

Allegri and Leao spoke to the press ahead of their next pre-season friendly, which is against Perth Glory on Thursday and Leao was also complimentary of the Rossoneri fans that have turned out in support of the club in Australia: “There really are a lot of them and you can feel their support.”

“It is very nice for us to play in this condition. We are very happy to have received this welcome and we will try to repay the fans with a good performance against Perth.” After praising the fans in Australia, Leao went on to answer a question about the current state of the team.

“We have an experienced coach who has already won here at Milan.” he continued, “We are a young group, with a few experienced players who have been here for a long time. We are building the team, with the right spirit that helps even when we are not playing well.”

The former Sporting and Lille forward also revealed that “Everything has changed compared to the past. I feel that this year Milan will be a real team. We have important players who can make the difference but, above all, there will be a great team spirit.”

Milan look to Allegri to usher in new era and it is clear that they’re trying to do things differently, perhaps taking a more sensible approach to the way they manage their squad and transfer activities. Allegri joined the club this summer alongside former Lazio sporting director Igli Tare.

Hence, the club have worked on some sensible acquisitions. Samuele Ricci looks to be settling in well at the club whilst the Rossoneri continue their search for a new centre-forward.With Santiago Gimenez still on holiday, Leao has been playing in the central attacking role.

In the meantime, the club have been linked with a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. For Allegri, he warned that it was ‘easy’ for his players to remain focused against the Gunners and the Reds while the upcoming friendly against Perth Glory will show their growth.

“We are in the final stage of the tour and we’ve worked well. We have to play seriously and respect the opponent, who will give their all,” Allegri told reporters. “It will be an important test for them, but also for us. It’s a key test to improve our physical shape and tactical condition.

“It’s also an important mental test because it was easy to stay focused against Arsenal and Liverpool. Tomorrow, we’ll see how much we’ve grown mentally and in terms of respecting the opponent.” The Rossoneri have been working under Allegri for nearly a month.

The Italian tactician was asked for a prediction on the Serie A title race. “Napoli are the favourites to win the Scudetto because they are the defending champions,” he said. Then there’s Inter, who are strong and have been doing an excellent job for years. Then Juventus, Atalanta, Roma, Fiorentina and Lazio.”

“Many teams will fight for the top four. Not playing in European competitions means we can train all week, but the downside is that Milan need to play in the Champions League to test ourselves against the top teams and the intensity of European football.” He further added.

Milan won’t be involved in any European competition this season after finishing 8th in the just concluded season. Santiago Gimenez and Luka Modric will resume training at Milanello in a few days as the pair were given extra days off as they had been busy with international duties and the Club World Cup until a few weeks ago.

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“They’ll join the group, and some young players will return to Milan Futuro and the Primavera squad. That’s how we’ll prepare for the final 15 days before the Coppa Italia debut against Bari. Estupinan is a strong player, and he’s settling into a group of guys with strong values, on and off the pitch.” Allegri concluded.

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