Monza coach Raffaele Palladino reveals the special gift that Adriano Galliani gave him after the 2-0 victory away to Juventus, which will bring back memories for Milan fans. ‘He had tears in his eyes.’
The newly-promoted side had already beaten Juve 1-0 at the U-Power Stadium back in September, which was Palladino’s debut as coach after his promotion from the youth team role.
He managed to do the double over the Old Lady, with Patrick Ciurria and Dany Mota Carvalho getting the goals in Turin for an historic success.
As he arrived for the post-match interview with DAZN, Palladino was clutching a very familiar bright yellow tie.
“I had complimented him on his tie before the game and he said that if we won, I could have it,” revealed the coach. “It will represent a wonderful memory for me. There was such enthusiasm and joy in the locker room, Galliani had tears in his eyes.”
Milan supporters will recognise it, because for decades Galliani has always worn a lucky yellow tie during important games.
This is becoming something of a habit for Monza, who have now leapfrogged Juventus in the table, thanks also to the Bianconeri’s 15-point Serie A penalty for artificially inflated capital gains.
“We prepared all week, knowing we were up against a strong side. We did well to face this occasion with the right courage, making the most of our opportunities in the first half. We never stopped playing and that’s what I wanted to see.
“It’s true we went deeper after the break, but that was also down to Juventus pushing hard to get back into the game. We remained concentrated to the final whistle, it was a perfect performance and we are very happy.”
Palladino grew up in the Juventus youth academy and spent several years here as a player, so returning as a coach to take three points felt very special.
“I saw members of my staff crying, because they just didn’t expect this. Facing Juve when they had so many champions in the side, we came here to trouble them and we achieved that.
“With this mentality, we can cause problems for any opponent.”