Riccardo Montolivo says he'll be 'forever grateful' to Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic for having believed in him, and examines Milan's season so far.
The midfielder had a difficult last season, but he is slowly winning back a place amid the Rossoneri starters.
“I had a difficult summer,” he admitted to Il Corriere dello Sport. “In terms of the media, there was great skepticism towards me. [Playing] was a great satisfaction.
“Mihajlovic and I have always agreed that my best position is ahead of the defence.
Riccardo Montolivo says he'll be 'forever grateful' to Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic for having believed in him, and examines Milan's season so far.
The midfielder had a difficult last season, but he is slowly winning back a place amid the Rossoneri starters.
“I had a difficult summer,” he admitted to Il Corriere dello Sport. “In terms of the media, there was great skepticism towards me. [Playing] was a great satisfaction.
“Mihajlovic and I have always agreed that my best position is ahead of the defence.
“After all it was Mihajlovic who tried me out at Fiorentina, and I'll be forever grateful towards him because he protected me when the club wanted to marginalise me, after I turned down an offer for a renewal.
“Mihajlovic stood up against this decision because he believed in me. Another Coach, without his character and his personality, wouldn't have done the same.”
The 30-year-old then looked back on his club's 1-0 defeat to Genoa last Sunday.
“In Genoa we approached the game very badly. We didn't understand right away that our opponents were going to play a very aggressive game, looking to hurt us on set pieces, which they managed to do.
“The meeting with the team in Milanello was appropriate. It was agreed by the Coach and the club.
“It's only fair that everybody should have been called to attention. We can no longer afford to make mistakes, not after spending two years away from European tournaments and not after such a substantial transfer campaign.
“As for my own performance, it was the third consecutive game after a long period of inactivity.
“Physically, I had some trouble, but that's normal as a player works towards his best condition.”