Carlo Ancelotti insists that former club Milan are a better team than their results suggest and he thinks Alexandre Pato could resolve some of their problems.
Carlo Ancelotti insists that former club Milan are a better team than their results suggest and he thinks Alexandre Pato could resolve some of their problems.
The Diavolo have had a disastrous start to the season after losing three of their first four League games. They could also only manage a 0-0 at home to Anderlecht in the Champions League.
“I understand the difficulty that Milan are going through, even though I didn’t think that such results would arrive,” the Paris Saint-Germain boss told TV show Undici.
“I didn’t expect such a start to the season from Milan despite all the players that have left the club. And I’m not only talking about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. Pippo Inzaghi quit, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf left…
“However, you have to get rid of the excuse that many players left. That should, in fact, become a motivational tool.
“The players must remember what the Milan shirt represents. At a time like this the important thing is strength and faith. You need to take cover and wait until the storm passes.”
Ancelotti had a hugely successful career at San Siro as a player and Coach of the Diavolo and he thinks the outfit can recover.
“Milan need to start again from the solidity of the club,” he added. “Naturally the new players are at a different technical level than those who left, but they need to take responsibility now.
“Quality-wise, Milan won’t be same as last season, but they won’t be the team that loses three matches out of four either.”
As well as the big name departures, the Rossoneri have also had to deal with injuries – and that again includes Alexandre Pato.
“I don’t believe that Pato is irrecoverable and I hope that he will return soon,” Ancelotti, whose current club almost signed the striker last January, added.
“Pato could be an added value to Milan because he’s an immense talent.
“Unfortunately he has had tons of injuries and everyone hopes that he can recover. He could be what Milan need to get back on the right track, along with Riccardo Montolivo who’s a great midfielder.”
Ancelotti was also asked about Inzaghi’s decision to begin a coaching career with the Milan Allievi side, while he suggested that one of his former players could become a great tactician.
“In order to be a Coach you need a lot of enthusiasm and passion. Just because you’ve been a footballer for 20 years doesn’t mean that you’ll become a good tactician.
“I’m following Inzaghi's career with the utmost curiosity…
“Many of the players from my Milan have the right mind-set and capabilities to be a Coach. From a technical point of view, I’ll say Andrea Pirlo could do well because of how he sees football.”
Pirlo is still plying his trade at Juventus.