Legendary Coach Arrigo Sacchi declares “Milan can win the Scudetto”, even if Juventus are “super-favourites”.
The Rossoneri appear more stable both on and off the pitch, having been taken over by Elliott Management and signed the likes of Mattia Caldara, Gonzalo Higuain and Pepe Reina.
“I’ll repeat what I said half an hour ago to my beach neighbour here at Milano Marittima: Milan can win the Scudetto,” Sacchi began, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
Legendary Coach Arrigo Sacchi declares “Milan can win the Scudetto”, even if Juventus are “super-favourites”.
The Rossoneri appear more stable both on and off the pitch, having been taken over by Elliott Management and signed the likes of Mattia Caldara, Gonzalo Higuain and Pepe Reina.
“I’ll repeat what I said half an hour ago to my beach neighbour here at Milano Marittima: Milan can win the Scudetto,” Sacchi began, speaking to Corriere della Sera.
“I’ll explain. Juve aren’t favourites, they’re super-favourites. But at the same time I’m convinced that [Coach Gennaro] Gattuso, a person to be admired and an extraordinary professional, will succeed in making a leap in quality.
“They can play for the Scudetto, and in that sense Saturday’s match against Napoli will be extremely important. To be clear: not the result, the performance.
“It’s a very open match. Milan must play with their heads held high, with the mentality of the great old Milan.
“If they do that, the self-esteem of the group will increase dramatically. Last year they had a young squad, but now I think they’ve grown and improved.
“I’ve known many of those lads since the national youth teams – Caldara, [Alessio] Romagnoli; fantastic lads.
“I know their human value, I know how generous and motivated they are. You won’t go wrong with them. Then there’s Higuain, who is a guarantee.
“Above all though there’s the club, Leonardo and [Paolo] Maldini have history, competence and charisma. That was essential, because the club comes before anything.
“The rest – the team, the players – is a consequence.”
Sacchi’s old friend Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to challenge the Rossoneri for the title, having taken over at Napoli.
“I appreciate his choice, it’s a great challenge. I don’t know if Napoli will repeat the result they achieved last year, but one thing is for sure: De Laurentiis has taken the best.
“Carletto is a maestro, a wise man in the old Latin sense of the term. He can solve any situation.
“It’s difficult, because Napoli went above and beyond last year, even if not everyone understood that. They did something extraordinary, going beyond their potential. We had a jewel before our eyes.
“[Maurizio] Sarri has been a blessing for Italian football, it’s a shame Serie A has lost him.”
Juventus have won the Scudetto for seven years in a row though, and now they have Cristiano Ronaldo…
“Juventus bought a champion, not the championship,” Sacchi pointed out.
“You know that I see football as a team sport with individual moments, not the other way around. I’m convinced that a player cannot win alone, never mind make a whole football system grow.
“That said, Cristiano is absolutely extraordinary and he’ll make Juventus even stronger.
“Enough to win the Champions League? It depends how he fits into the team. Alone, no. If you disagree, explain to me why he’s never won the World Cup.
“Juve is a great club, but if they want to make the whole movement grow they won’t do that just by bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo.
“The question is philosophical. They should try to take a step forward, try to merge merit, beauty and victory.
“That’s the road to the Champions League, the real goal of an exceptional club that has won that cup twice in 60 years.
“I’d like a good Coach like [Max] Allegri to be more daring.”
Sacchi also gave his opinion on Inter, Lazio and Roma.
“Inter are an enigma, but it’s no wonder – in fact I rather marvel at those who didn’t expect it.
“For seven or eight years they’ve ‘won the transfer window’ but they never manage to have consistency.
“[Luciano] Spalletti has a lot of work to do, both on the pitch and in the players’ heads. We’ll see how they manage the Champions League.
“As for the Roman clubs, [Roma Coach Eusebio] Di Francesco makes his team play well, moreover in an environment which isn’t easy, because Roma is not.
“I’m more uncertain about Simone Inzaghi, he has a feel for the game but I still see some fear. You can see he has too many players back defending when they’re not needed, but he’s on the right path.”