7 hours ago
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AC Milan’s season in Serie A begins tonight with the clash against Cremonese, and as warned by Max Allegri, the Rossoneri cannot afford to underestimate the newly-promoted side.
As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport this morning (see photo at the bottom), Allegri has made it clear to his players that they will need to be patient tonight. Cremonese will likely do everything to disrupt the play, but the Rossoneri have the quality to find ways through.
Furthermore, for the remainder of the season, the manager has urged his players to maintain a “cruising speed, not too fast, but remaining consistent, without ups and downs”. While Rafael Leao won’t be available tonight, Allegri will have another star to rely on.
Modric over Ricci
Given that it’s the first game of the proper campaign, and with Allegri back on the bench, San Siro is sold out tonight. It’s a little bit too warm for the gaffer to wear a suit jacket, so there’s no risk of it being taken off and thrown to the ground, which must be a relief for the players.
Jokes aside, the players have been very disciplined in training and Allegri expects them to implement his instructions tonight. In that sense, Luka Modric will be essential in dictating the play of the game, with patience and quality.
“There’s no need to talk about Luka on a technical level; his career speaks for itself. He plays the ball more on the outside than on the inside, and that’s something few do. Plus, he’s a very humble guy. He has shown great availability and is in great physical shape,” the manager stated.
That is also why Modric is ahead of Samuele Ricci for a starting spot. He only needed 25 minutes in his Coppa Italia debut to win over the fans, and tonight could be a great Serie A debut. Indeed, the Croatian and Allegri are still the Rossoneri’s best assets: a completely different atmosphere compared to last season’s turbulence.
Starting strong is a must
After the ban against Bari, Allegri will be back in the dugout today and will thus resume the leadership of his team. He must lead them on a rapid climb from eighth place to the top four, securing a Champions League spot without losing sight of the Scudetto dream.
“There are at least eight teams battling for the top spots, and as always, the favourite for the title is the team that won the previous season. We’ll have to work hard and get to at least March in the best possible shape,” the manager stated.
The transfer market has helped and perhaps will help, with some more signings on the way (above all a striker). In short, starting strong is a necessity, especially since there is a schedule to take advantage of: Lecce away next weekend and then Bologna at home, before the big clash against Napoli.
In September, European competitions will kick off for the rivals, so getting to that point with no distance lost is crucial. Then, with a few results going their way, Milan could start the climb and potentially create gaps.
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