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00:00Good afternoon everyone, welcome along to the pre-match press conference on the eve of Cagliari Milan, we'll start with Milan TV.
00:07Thank you Nicola, good afternoon Gaffer.
00:09Gaffer, Milan pulled off a great result at Real Madrid, a performance full of spirit, good football, you got the result.
00:18How important is it for you to not necessarily jeopardise all of those wonderful strengths you showed at Real Madrid by not messing up at Cagliari tomorrow?
00:31Does that mean you need to play well tomorrow, is the team aware of that?
00:34I think it's important to retain the good things that we produced in midweek, in terms of our spirit and courage.
00:47But it's also important to realise that the Cagliari game will be a very different kettle of fish, we need to be a different side in order to play against Cagliari.
01:03It will be a completely different match.
01:11Right from the day after the Real Madrid game I'd already forgotten that result and I started to think about the Cagliari match, which is a very important fixture.
01:19And we need to have the right attitude and approach in order to win the game.
01:25Good afternoon, coach.
01:27People say that there are certain matches which can change a team's mindset and change the season.
01:35Could this be a historic match for this club in terms of changing the players' belief, not necessarily in and around the club, but in terms of your players' mindset?
01:46Even before the Real Madrid game I think the team were aware of what we can be.
01:57The team are aware of how we've progressed in recent times.
02:08Obviously after a game like the Real Madrid fixture and the way in which we play, that does naturally bring more confidence to the players.
02:19But as I said, every single match is important.
02:27I don't think the Real Madrid game was more important than the Cagliari match.
02:34And as I've said, we need to understand the period of the season, the opposition, the competition.
02:42We need to go back to what is our bread and butter, domestic competition, which is different.
02:50And we need to have the right attitude in order to get a positive result.
02:54My second question is as follows.
02:58The Younes Moussa experiment, is that a one-off? Is that tied to one game or could that be something that you'll be pressing on with?
03:08And could you give us an update on Alvaro Morata?
03:20That was a strategy that we had for this game.
03:28I don't know whether we can reproduce this in other matches. Maybe we can.
03:32Maybe we can have different players operating in that particular position.
03:39But mainly that was a strategy, a game plan that we had for that specific fixture.
03:47That was due to the Real Madrid players' attributes, the way that they set up, the way that we wanted to defend mainly.
03:58We might need to do so again in other matches.
04:02As for Alvaro Morata, it was a strange situation.
04:13Because he picked up a knock with Strahinja Pavlovic yesterday during a training drill.
04:20Initially, I never thought it would have been as serious as it is.
04:27But he's not available for selection. He's healthy, he's OK, but he's not ready to play.
04:33Dazon, good afternoon, coach.
04:38I'm going to ask you about Rafael Leao.
04:40After the Champions League game, Morata said that Leao is streets ahead of everyone else and he needs to realise that he can make footballing history.
04:51Do you think the performance that Rafael Leao produced was all the result of the way you've managed him in recent times?
04:58And will he start tomorrow, Rafael?
05:03Yes, Leao will start tomorrow at Cagliari.
05:09He had a good game.
05:13I said after the Real Madrid game that I think that Rafa can play even better.
05:17He can make better decisions. He had lots of openings and opportunities.
05:22But he produced a good performance.
05:25We all need to realise that tomorrow night's game is going to be a completely different match for Rafa.
05:31He'll be man-marked.
05:34He won't enjoy the same space that he had away at Real Madrid.
05:40It will be a different game.
05:43But I expect that Rafa can, once again, produce a similar performance level.
05:50Cazzetta dello Sport.
05:56I'd like to just bounce back on what the colleague has just asked you.
05:59You said that Rafael Leao played well at Real Madrid, but you expect him to perform even better.
06:06Given that he was a match-winner at Real Madrid with an assist, he had that shot that Pulisic scored on the rebound.
06:19Do you also expect him to score a few more goals, Rafael Leao?
06:23Is that the next step that he needs to make and can make?
06:29Because he also trapped back against Real Madrid.
06:31Do you also require more goals out of Leao?
06:41Look, Rafa had so many opportunities in the final third, 1v1 situations.
06:47He might have had 9 or 10 situations of this type.
06:53I think he can improve in terms of his final ball or his decision-making.
06:58And of course, like everyone, he can improve defensively.
07:02We need to keep working on him in order for him to learn these areas of the game.
07:10That's important for him, but above all, it's important for the team.
07:13Rai.
07:15Good afternoon.
07:18How important is tomorrow's game in terms of forcing your way back into the title race up near the top end of the table?
07:25It's important for every single reason.
07:31We can't afford to get matches like this wrong.
07:35We can't afford to drop points at this stage of the season.
07:43We go into the Cagliari game on the back of a good performance.
07:47I don't think it would necessarily mean much that we would lose.
07:52I don't think it would necessarily mean much, the win over Real Madrid, if we weren't to back it up with a victory over Cagliari.
08:00As I said, it will be a completely different match. Completely different.
08:06In terms of the way the opposition set up, because it's a Serie A match.
08:12But it's hugely important to win tomorrow for all of these reasons I've just listed.
08:15Mediaset.
08:16Hi.
08:18Another question about Raphael Liao, but more about his relationship with you.
08:24You said that he won't necessarily have as much space as he got at Real Madrid. You want more from him.
08:29But given it was a very strong decision, the fact that you left him out and put him on the bench, how did he take the news?
08:36He was almost undroppable, yet this was a brave decision from you.
08:40So I want to understand the rapport that you have. What's your relationship like with Rapha?
08:43It's always been a good relationship. We've always had a good relationship.
08:49Obviously, I can't tell you everything.
08:53But we, coaches, try to have different strategies.
08:59I've tried to take a certain approach with Rapha. Maybe that wasn't the best approach.
09:05Now I've tried a different approach.
09:09And it looks like it had an effect on him.
09:13That's the way we work as head coaches.
09:16I've never had any issues with Rapha. Quite the opposite.
09:27He gracefully accepted the decision.
09:32He reacted, he responded. That's what I wanted to see out of him.
09:36But everything's great on that score.
09:40I expect Rapha to kick on from this.
09:44If this is the solution, then maybe we'll be seeing Rapha on the bench more going forward.
09:51But we'll see, we'll see.
09:54Corriere della Sera.
09:57Good afternoon. I wanted to ask you.
10:01Have you come up with a reason why,
10:05in the two matches in which
10:11you were underdogs,
10:16it felt like it was
10:19obvious that you were going to lose before you went out there.
10:23I'm talking about the derby against Inter in the Real Madrid game.
10:25And yet, to great surprise, you actually overturned the odds and deservedly won both matches.
10:34It's the second time that in the biggest games, the most important matches,
10:41that you've actually shown your best displays of the season.
10:47Why? Have you come up with a reason for that? Have you got an explanation?
10:55There might be a number of explanations behind this, reasons for it.
10:59First,
11:06games like these are hugely motivating for the players.
11:16If we're completely honest,
11:19the players are more motivated for fixtures such as these more than other games.
11:28And that's one of the most concerning reasons
11:32why I'm a little bit wary about playing Cagliari, as opposed to how I felt on the eve of the Real Madrid game.
11:38But they're completely different games, completely different.
11:48When you play against teams such as these, like Real Madrid,
11:53what happens is the worst thing you can do is not having the bravery to play football.
11:58Because they're matches where there is space. There is space.
12:02The issue is a number of teams, when they play games like this,
12:06they're a little bit reticent. They're afraid of playing football.
12:11They're focused on defending.
12:13But I think here it's important to actually convey the message to the players
12:18that we have space to play here, we can play football, we can control and dominate proceedings.
12:22And once we start to do that, that then breeds confidence among the team, among the players.
12:33And that's why I said I don't know whether they understood me
12:38or whether I've not necessarily explained things to you.
12:41Sometimes it's actually harder to play against Monza or Cagliari.
12:49In matches like the Real Madrid game, there is space in which to operate.
12:53That's the main thing.
12:55I'm sure that we won't have the same space tomorrow at Cagliari to play football.
13:08And when the team find themselves in these circumstances,
13:11they show courage, they control matches, they play as a unit.
13:19And that's why we played well.
13:24Can I ask a second question?
13:26I also wanted to ask you, after the historic win this week,
13:32whether you feel that the fans love you a bit more now?
13:36That's only natural.
13:38But the attitude, the fans' attitude has changed compared with this summer?
13:43No, I don't think anything has changed.
13:45In my mind, nothing has changed.
13:51I need to press ahead in the direction that I think is the right one.
13:55It's not just because I won a game away at Real Madrid.
13:58It's not just because I won a game away at Real Madrid.
14:01It's not just because I won a game away at Real Madrid.
14:03If I don't win tomorrow, then I'll go back to where I was.
14:08I need to remain level-headed.
14:15Today I said that I'm not the person where if I win, I watch everything.
14:22If I don't win, I don't read anything.
14:25No, I don't read, I don't look at anything.
14:28I'm still pressing ahead.
14:30Given what you've just said about Milan actually being more comfortable
14:36in certain matches where you're allowed to play football,
14:39and given some of the other things that you've said,
14:45I said if Rafinha were to come back,
14:49I said if Rafinha were to come back,
14:52I said if Rafinha were to come back,
14:55I said if Rafinha were to come back,
14:57I said if Rafael Leal gets better, you will then win the Champions League.
15:04Do you feel you've got a cup-winning side?
15:07Carlo Ancelotti in 2002-2003 dropped a lot of points against Perugia, Livorno,
15:13and in 2006-2007 the team had even fewer points in Serie A than you guys had,
15:19and yet they went on to win the Champions League.
15:21Have you asked yourselves this?
15:23Maybe our best competition is the Champions League.
15:25That's where we're best suited.
15:27No, to be honest, I haven't given that any thought at all.
15:35Do you like it?
15:37Yeah, I like it.
15:44Yeah, I also like the fact that the team understand that here in Italy,
15:50Serie A is the priority.
15:51We need to have the same attitude,
15:54we need to have the same courage to win matches domestically.
16:05Serie A is our priority.
16:09Sure, we've played against big teams, we've always played well against them,
16:14but we need to do likewise with the other teams here in Serie A.
16:17That's what I'm most concerned about.
16:19Il Giornale?
16:22Hello, Gaffer, good afternoon.
16:26I wanted to ask you two things.
16:28First, the Spain head coach has just said that he's spoken to Alvaro Morata,
16:36Morata's fit, and he will certainly play either the first or the second game
16:41in the Nations League.
16:42So I'd like to ask, who said that?
16:46The Spain head coach, De La Fuente.
16:50De La Fuente, the Spain head coach, said that he's spoken with Morata
16:55who will play either the first or the second game.
16:58Given that after the international break you're up against Juventus,
17:02would it not be the case to explain to both Morata and the Spain head coach
17:08that he'd be better off resting up?
17:11I don't know how he said that, because there is a protocol in place.
17:18And after a knock, the player actually has to take 10 days off.
17:25So I don't know how he's able to play the first or the second game.
17:29I think that's a little bit strange.
17:31The news I have, the instructions I've been given,
17:34is that the player can't do anything for the next 10 days.
17:36That's a medical protocol.
17:37That's not an option.
17:39It's not an option.
17:41It's non-negotiable.
17:43I think it's obligatory.
17:45It's mandatory.
17:47I don't know how on earth he can say that.
17:49Great.
17:51My second observation is this.
17:53You keep repeating, quite rightly,
17:55that the Cagliari game will be different to the Real Madrid match,
17:59because you'll certainly have less space.
18:04Given that Cagliari will sit back,
18:07and wait for you,
18:09do you not think it might be the case
18:12to actually change something in terms of your shape, your formation?
18:18If I knew that this would have an impact, I would change it.
18:21But I'm not sure.
18:26Can you give me a bit of advice on what I can do,
18:29in order to win the match?
18:31But we play with three midfielders.
18:34How on earth can you say we don't play with three midfielders?
18:37Fofana, Tigi Reinders, Christian Pulisic.
18:44We've played with four midfielders now, with Moussa as well.
18:54We've always played with three midfielders.
18:57We've always played with three midfielders.
19:00Hi, Paolo.
19:02Hi.
19:04So, attitude, you need to play well at Cagliari,
19:08but in order to play well at Cagliari,
19:11as you did, albeit with a few issues at Monza,
19:15do you not need to try and actually go out there
19:19with the right determination, that meanness?
19:22Because at times it feels like the team
19:26is actually a little bit too relaxed in their approach.
19:31Maybe you could go out there with a bit more energy
19:33right from the word go.
19:40I'm sure we don't agree on the Monza game.
19:47But I think the team played with the right attitude
19:51against Monza.
19:53They played with greater difficulty.
19:57Because we came up against opposition
20:00that actually gives you different issues,
20:04man v. man all over the pitch, man marking.
20:07But they did go out there with the right mindset
20:10and the right meanness and edge for a game like that.
20:14Quite honestly, I expect us to have a similar approach.
20:21At times it's not necessarily a question of attitude,
20:26it's just how difficult the match is.
20:35Favre played Stuttgart who played against Atalanta.
20:38Can you say they didn't have the right attitude?
20:40No, they did have the right attitude,
20:42but they had the difficulty of playing
20:44against a team that defends like that,
20:4611 v. 11 all over the pitch.
20:49I talk a lot about that.
20:51Because as a head coach,
20:55I know that there are a number of things
20:58that are very difficult to come up against.
21:02Teams that play like that,
21:04that defend man v. man all over the pitch,
21:07it's difficult.
21:09Good afternoon.
21:13Besides the ability and tactical shape
21:17you're also highlighting your ability
21:20to actually make all of the players feel important.
21:24On the 5th of October you said
21:27you needed to find a stable centre-back pairing,
21:30but in actual fact you've actually got Malik Chao,
21:33he's come back in,
21:35he's looking like he was in his first season here.
21:37How difficult is it?
21:40Okafor's come on, he's looked good,
21:43Chukwese's looked good.
21:44How difficult is it for a player who's in form
21:47but also making a different decision
21:50because you know it's for the best of the team
21:52based on the opposition?
21:55And will Tami Abraham start tomorrow
21:59and could that mean that you set up differently?
22:05It's quite difficult to pick my team at this moment in time
22:09because I've got a number of players
22:11because they've got the training,
22:12they've got a number of players
22:14because they've got the Chukwese situation.
22:16Chukwese's playing well, he's in good form.
22:18All I can do is explain to the players
22:21that it's a tactical decision,
22:24it's not a choice based on individual performance levels
22:29just like all the other players.
22:35But now I think we've got greater scope to make changes
22:39and these are also based on matches,
22:42specific characteristics of each fixture.
22:48We played that recent game with Malik Chao and Pavlovic,
22:55that was a more physical game,
22:57big physical forwards.
22:59Now we had a game
23:01where we were up against more pacey opponents
23:05so Fikayo Tomori played.
23:07Now I've got greater scope to actually pick my team
23:09based on the matches themselves and the opposition skill set.
23:14And I think the players understand that well
23:17because I'm very open,
23:19I look them in the eye, I explain these decisions,
23:22I explain things when I feel that they need to be explained.
23:27I think it's positive to have the option to do so
23:30and I think the players understand that well
23:33in terms of my team selection.
23:35I don't think there's any issue on that score.
23:39I can say so because in half an hour's time you'll know everything.
23:51Because the Gaffer's here, the team... no.
23:58No, Francesco Camarda will start tomorrow.
24:07Good afternoon, Gaffer.
24:10I don't know whether you knew,
24:12but this is your four-month anniversary as Milan head coach.
24:18Could you give us your take on the first period at the club?
24:22Are you happy with how things have gone?
24:25I'm very happy.
24:27It's a huge source of pride to be Milan head coach.
24:30It is difficult, yes.
24:33But I'm very, very proud and I'm very, very motivated.
24:37Seeing the work that we've done,
24:40the progress that the team have made,
24:47it's very motivating to see the signs coming out of the team.
24:51I'm very motivated and I'm very happy.
24:57Good afternoon.
25:00You said that Real Madrid gave you a lot of confidence.
25:04You said that the Real Madrid game and the Cagliari match
25:08will be very different.
25:10But in order to approach this match,
25:12in terms of improving as a team,
25:14I'm not talking about your formation,
25:16but more about your tactical approach.
25:18How do you get better in terms of approaching matches like this?
25:21Monza, Cagliari, how far off are we seeing Milan
25:25being able to go into these games with a bit of a swagger?
25:33I want to explain in detail what I actually mean and what I think.
25:48When you have a game like Real Madrid,
25:51we aim to try and exploit a certain amount of space
25:54because we have space.
25:56What I mean is when you play against teams like Real Madrid,
26:01you need to have a good positional style of play.
26:08But when you play against teams like Cagliari,
26:12you need other factors, you need other things.
26:17Because when there's man marking,
26:20there is no space, there is no positional play.
26:26There are other factors which come into play and are important
26:28and I don't really want to say which ones they are
26:31and why they're important.
26:41I think the way to approach the game,
26:45the team's intentions need to be different.
26:59I think against Monza and against Napoli at times,
27:03we've already done some very good things
27:06and I think that we need to keep improving these things
27:11which are very important in my mind
27:13when it comes to taking teams like these.
27:20Of course, you've caught us all a little bit off guard
27:24with this announcement about Francesco Camarda,
27:26so I'd like to ask how is Luka Jovic
27:29and is he still part of your plans?
27:31Yes, he is part of our plans,
27:33but the issue is Luka's not fit.
27:35Luka's not fit.
27:44He's got an issue which continues to plague him.
27:47Luka has trained in recent days,
27:51but he's in pain.
27:52We gave him another fitness test today
27:55and he's still got this very significant pain
27:59and it limits his movement,
28:02so he won't travel with us.
28:04Giovanni D'Elia, good afternoon, Gaffer.
28:07Let me ask you a very simple question.
28:10It means a lot to me
28:12because you got...
28:16Congratulations, but Yunus Musa,
28:18not much has been made about him
28:19because you've picked him almost everywhere.
28:22He's played in midfield, full-back, wing-back.
28:25How important is it to have players
28:27that are so versatile like Yunus Musa?
28:35Successful teams are made with players such as these.
28:41I'm absolutely sure of that.
28:44Yunus Musa is very important.
28:46He'd already had an excellent performance against Napoli.
28:53Now I asked Musa to play in another position
28:57and once again he performed very well.
29:05I know he's the sort of player
29:07that's always willing to work hard,
29:11to help out the team,
29:12to make sacrifices.
29:14He's got a lot of qualities that I really like.
29:19I think he was a decisive player,
29:21a match winner in the last game.
29:25I didn't speak about Yunus Musa
29:29because, you know,
29:31if you only ask about Rafael Leal
29:33then you can't speak about other players.
29:37I wanted to...
29:38I talked about Musa
29:40but the questions didn't come in about him.
29:43Carlo Pellegatti.
29:49I hate you.
29:51I hate you today.
29:53Why do I hate you?
29:55Because I prepared a question
29:57and then you say to me
29:59that Camarda is going to start.
30:01No, I'm not going to let that go.
30:04So I've got
30:05an extra question.
30:07I'll put to one side the question.
30:09Now you need to explain to me
30:11why Camarda?
30:13How did he take the decision?
30:15Why?
30:17We were thinking
30:19Tammy Abraham would play
30:21and now it's all going to be headlines
30:23tomorrow about Camarda.
30:25You need to give me a big explanation
30:27as to why Camarda,
30:29how he's taken the news.
30:31This is rather surprising.
30:33I don't think it is surprising
30:35that he's going to start.
30:37He's a kid who works with us
30:39and trains with us day in, day out.
30:43I think everyone believes
30:45a great deal in Camarda.
30:47He trains very well.
30:49He understands the position very well.
30:55I think if you're good enough
30:57you're old enough.
30:59He's a quality player
31:01and he shows day in, day out
31:03that he has quality.
31:05Look,
31:07at this moment in time
31:09Alvaro Morata
31:11has a very specific role
31:13because Morata isn't always
31:15the team's striker,
31:17the team's focal point.
31:25Often he's the player
31:27that unblocks
31:29a passing lane
31:31between Christian Pulisic
31:32and Titi Reinders.
31:39Quite honestly,
31:41at this moment in time
31:43I think Camarda
31:45is better placed
31:47to carry out this role
31:49than Tammy Abraham is necessarily.
31:51Tammy Abraham isn't 100% fit.
31:53He's a lot better
31:55but he's not 100% fit.
32:03Yes, you're right.
32:06No, he's not 100% fit.
32:12But I've got the utmost belief
32:14in Francesco Camarda.
32:17He trained today,
32:19he trained very, very well.
32:24He's a kid
32:26who is the age that he is
32:28but he's hugely mature
32:30for his age.
32:32And that's what matters to me.
32:35He's not a kid
32:37who's afraid of nothing.
32:39He's someone
32:41who comes in here
32:43with the other players.
32:45He looks like a 25, 26-year-old.
32:47He's brave.
32:49He's aggressive.
32:51He works a great deal
32:53for the team defensively.
32:55We had this issue
32:57with Alvaro Morata
32:59yesterday in training
33:00and there was no doubt
33:02whatsoever as to who would
33:04come in and replace Morata.