China Coach Marcello Lippi reveals “no-one was able to give me an answer” about Milan’s potential new owners.
Rossoneri President Silvio Berlusconi is on the verge of selling the club to a consortium called Sino-Europe Sports, with the final sale expected before the end of the year.
However, the identity of the investors is still unclear, and that appears to be the case even in China.
“I even asked some local directors,” Lippi told Corriere dello Sport, having taken over as Coach of the Chinese national team.
China Coach Marcello Lippi reveals “no-one was able to give me an answer” about Milan’s potential new owners.
Rossoneri President Silvio Berlusconi is on the verge of selling the club to a consortium called Sino-Europe Sports, with the final sale expected before the end of the year.
However, the identity of the investors is still unclear, and that appears to be the case even in China.
“I even asked some local directors,” Lippi told Corriere dello Sport, having taken over as Coach of the Chinese national team.
“No-one was able to give me an answer. There’s not a clear picture of the situation, even from here. However, from what I’ve read it seems we’re at the end now.”
Lippi also discussed his new role, and believes it’s not impossible for China to make it to the 2018 World Cup.
“It’s a strange sensation, but exciting and beautiful. At the age of 68, I feel like I’m 34, the age I started coaching at. I’ve gone back to doing things as before.
“I’ve never been able to work in the evening or at night. No, I wake up at 6am and prepare exercises and training sessions.
“That’s how I’ve lived for these two weeks in Kunming. And compared to those years, now I can make use of the internet.
“The World Cup? There’s no messing around, we mean business. We’ve had 10 days of good work in this beautiful training centre, 1,900 metres above sea level.
“We’ll be able to play decent football. Qualification is compromised, but it’s not impossible.
“I have a good group of players, but when they arrive at the national team they lose 40 per cent of their performance. I’m talking about lads who are used to winning with their club, and not just domestically.
“There are 25 players here, and about a third of them are ones I had at Guangzhou [Evergrande] who won everything with me and after me.
“It’s not enough though, and the first mission is to build self-esteem.
“There are a few exceptions though, like Zhang Yuning, who plays for Vitesse. He’s a 19-year-old lad, a very powerful striker.
“He’s physically strong with good quality, and he knows how to play without the ball which almost no-one knows how to do in China.”