Ariedo Braida discusses the Juventus hegemony in Serie A and the future of Milan, Inter, Roma and Napoli.
The former director general of the Rossoneri is now working at Barcelona as their consultant, but he still carries his former colours in his heart.
“Milan are inside me, and how could it be otherwise?” said Braida. “I'll always be grateful to president Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani.
Ariedo Braida discusses the Juventus hegemony in Serie A and the future of Milan, Inter, Roma and Napoli.
The former director general of the Rossoneri is now working at Barcelona as their consultant, but he still carries his former colours in his heart.
“Milan are inside me, and how could it be otherwise?” said Braida. “I'll always be grateful to president Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani.
“I'd like for them to return to being 'the' Milan, the one the whole world knew about. We've acted as a model to follow. Milan are one of the most powerful brands in world football, and the buyers of the club were really buying their past. Now I hope they'll think about the future, as that's what I like to talk about.”
Changes have been afoot with the other Milanese team as well, as new Coach Frank De Boer gets ready to kick off his tenure.
“De Boer is a lad who travelled the world and had a lot of experiences, which gives him an open mentality. He doesn't know Italian football very much yet but I think he'll do well. That's what I wish for him.
“Rinus, Michels, Cruijff, Van Gaal: De Boer learnt from these names, when I think of him, I think of Ajax and their way of doing football. Barca learnt that model, and the heritage of the great masters is enduring.”
Braida was asked for a forecast of the Serie A championship, but he seems to believe there will be no competition.
“It seems so obvious. Juve are incredibly strong, although football is strange and winning six years in a row isn't easy.
“But the Bianconeri are certainly ahead of everyone. The loss of [Paul] Pogba is important, but the club worked on the market with some excellent signings: [Miralem] Pjanic, [Marko] Pjaca, Dani Alves and [Gonzalo] Higuain.
"It really is a strong squad, but then again, winning means that you can't afford a single weakness. Juve are stronger than all other teams on paper. They need one final touch, a midfielder, considering that [Claudio] Marchisio is injured.
“Still, Roma and Napoli are right there. The [Luciano] Spalletti effect on Roma was very good. He brought that group serenity that they were lacking earlier.
“He knew the environment and he was able to give them the right incentives. He didn't question [Francesco] Totti as a champion, only as a way of motivating everyone, and the group responded to that.
“Roma start off their next season with good chances of troubling Juve.
“As for Juve, they can make it among the first in Europe, but I'm hoping the Champions League returns to Barcelona.
“Serie A players that I'd take to Spain? [Paulo] Dybala, [Gianluigi] Buffon and [Coach Eusebio] Di Francesco. He may have been helped by working in a chilled environment like Sassuolo's, but I like his idea of football, his taste for possession, his interesting patterns.
“You can see the effects of his work, and that doesn't always happen. I think his football would go down well here, too.”