Sandro Tonali believes Milan can win the title, but insists the Rossoneri are not the favourites to win the Scudetto.
Milan face Inter in te derby della Madonnina tomorrow night.
It kicks off at 19.45 UK time.
Milan made Tonali’s move permanent in the summer and the Italian midfielder has shown signs of development this term. How does he explain it?
“It’s hard to say. Sometimes something happens in your head without even noticing it. Maybe the permanent move relaxed me a little, but there have been many details that have been helping me,” the Italian midfielder told Il Corriere dello Sport.
“Pioli understood my difficulties last season and he always put me in the best condition to do well. The same goes for my teammates. The coach is an extraordinary person who tries to help everyone, also off the pitch.”
Tonali is also a Rossoneri fan and hopes to stay at Milan for a long time. Possibly, becoming a club’s Bandiera.
“It’s the dream of everybody who plays and supports Milan. But it’s not easy, in order to do it, I must be exceptional everywhere: on the pitch, at Milanello and at home,” ther former Brescia starlet admitted.
Milan are seven points above Inter on top of the Serie A table, but Tonali insists the Rossoneri are not the favourites to win the title.
“The season is still long and it’s hard to say who is the favourite now,” he said.
“We had a solid start and we want to continue. That being said, any Milan players believe we can win the title. We’ve proved that we are a top team and that we can stay up there.
“We are Milan and Milan have always won fundamental games in history,” Tonali continued.
“The most difficult games are those against the teams on the other side of the table, as it happened to us against Venezia. But if you win big matches, you understand you can always win.”
Roberto Mancini has included Tonali in the Italy team that will face Switzerland and Northern Ireland during the November break.
With the 2022 Qatar World Cup just around the corner, Tonali hopes to remain in the squad and be part of the team next year.
“It’s too early to say it, but the national team must be my target,” the midfielder said.
The Azzurri need one last step to book their place for Qatar and a win against Switzerland in Rome next Friday would allow them to qualify for the World Cup.