4 days ago
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Alexis Saelemaekers has waxed lyrical about Massimiliano Allegri’s impact as the head coach of AC Milan, because of the belief he has instilled.
Saelemaekers has been at the centre of Allegri’s plans since the first day of preseason. The Belgian – after a year on loan at Bologna and then another year at Roma – returned to the Rossoneri and became a key man in the 3-5-2 formation. In fact, he has started all 22 league games so far.
The wing-back role that the Belgian now plays seems tailor-made for him. It is the same position that Claudio Ranieri utilised him in with the Giallorossi, when he racked up 14 goal contributions and almost all of them came in the second half of the season.
Saelemaekers speaks to CorSport
Saelemaekers spoke about all this, his past, his present, Allegri, Milan and the eternal debate between results versus style of play in a long interview with Corriere dello Sport published this morning.
What principles were you brought up with?
“From the ages of 6 to 15, never lift the ball, build from the back, and it doesn’t matter if a mistake leads to a goal for the other team. They teach you to play in all positions to understand their difficulties and specificities.
“The technical aspect prevails over everything, winning doesn’t matter to anyone, developing young players is the priority, it’s our culture. From 15 or 16 onwards, you move on to seeking results, to winning, but with clear and assimilated principles behind you.
“At that stage, you learn to find the solution when you’re under pressure or when the game takes a negative turn. This is also why Belgian football, less important than Italian football, is becoming one of the most interesting and popular markets.”
What does Allegri tell you to do?
“He teaches us to be aggressive, competitive and to maintain high concentration. Always. When he encourages us to stay calm, it’s because he wants us to think. From day one, we work to win.
“With him, you grow mentally because he pushes you to give 100 percent at every moment, on every occasion, and in every situation, even when the game forces the team to concede. He doesn’t need to push us to drop a bit deeper, for example: he gives us the tools to face every moment.
“He asks us to play for every ball because something important can come from every ball. He often repeats that the result can depend on just one incident… Allegri changes your mindset.”
What about your team-mates?
“Modric has won so much, both individually and collectively. But he shows a humility in his daily work that wins you over. Adri knows everything about Italian football and has an incredible personality.
And Leao?
“Like everyone, he experiences ups and downs. But he’s not one to hold back. And he has exceptional qualities.”
Stefano Pioli was your first Milan coach…
“He made me play consistently, we had a lot of fun that year… And the one who launched me at Anderlecht was Hein Vanhaezebrouck.”
Who were the most difficult team you have faced this season?
“Como impressed me. They play possession football that is beautiful. There is a lot of technique. In the right proportions, it reminds me of Barcelona 2010.”
Would you rather play nice football or win?
“Winning. We only remember those who win.”
Finally, a thought on VAR?
“VAR has corrected and improved some refereeing decisions, but it’s still not perfect. Many contacts are incorrectly assessed on video. If you feel touched in the penalty area, most of the time you don’t stay on your feet, you go down.
“You see others do it and you do it too. Sometimes you stay down longer waiting for the referee to draw attention. It’s not like you spend too much time thinking in those moments…”
English (US) ·