Fabio Capello has once again spoken about all things AC Milan, from Massimiliano Allegri’s introduction to the attacking department.
As this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport reported, Allegri’s mission at Milan is to turn Rafael Leao into a 20-goal man. In order to do that, he must unlock certain attributes that have only been seen in bursts so far, such as consistency and killer instinct inside the penalty area.
The first training session at Milanello added further clues regarding the new coach’s wishes. Allegri spoke with Leao on the path leading to the pitch, and even stopped for a face-to-face meeting during the session to give him some advice. Leao will get a lot of his attention, in other words.
Capello gave an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport in which he spoke about Milan and the start of the new season, touching upon a number of different topics in the process. His comments were relayed by MilanPress.
What did you think of Allegri’s words at his press conference?
“It’s the attitude I expected from him, but he has to be careful because he’s taken all the pressure off the players. He’s a big threat, because he’s a big umbrella, so he’ll have to make the team responsible and get inside their heads.”
He spoke a lot about Leao…
“For an athlete, it’s the age of maturity: either you’re there or you’re not. But, in his case, it’s above all the age of consistency. From someone like him, we can expect high-level performances, but with consistency.
“Allegri must be able to get it out of him. Meanwhile, I’d have him work hard on his shooting; he often gets close to shooting but then misses. Specific exercises for shooting from various positions, in short.
“He needs to do what I did with Ibra, when training was over… And then he needs to improve in his passive position when others have the ball. But the leap in quality must essentially come from within himself.”
Is it a contrast to Fonseca and Conceicao’s harsher approach?
“Punishing a player is childish in my opinion. In theory, it should show that you’re not to be trifled with, but if you decide to act this way, it shows you lack leadership.
“I believe these kinds of dynamics should be resolved in the dressing room. And in any case, a coach must basically put the best players on the pitch.”
The decision seems to have been made to elect him vice-captain…
“The captain, and therefore also his deputy, must be such for what they do during the match; they are not just there to exchange pennants. The armband should not be awarded based on seniority, but to players who are able to convey to their teammates the meaning of working throughout the week.”
Max will work a lot on the defensive phase, is this correct?
“At PSG, it seems to me that the attackers run forward and backward, and I also think there’s no need to ask them to. He’s the one who has to feel the need to help his teammates.”
Milan decided to make Leao a pillar in the bid to rebound from a terrible year…
“Milan knows him, he’s at home there, he knows he’s appreciated, for him it’s almost an obligation. I’ll leave him on the wing all my life, that’s his position, which also balances the whole team.
“Max believes a lot in Rafa, because he believes in quality players. Right now he’s scratching his stomach, we’ll have to see after that…”
On the other hand, with Theo Hernandez’s sale it is the end of ‘Theao’…
“A shame. It was the most beautiful left lane in Europe, a lot in terms of running, less in terms of mentality. Unfortunately, Hernandez gave up at a certain point .”
A thought on Santiago Gimenez?
“The Mexican had shown some important things, it’s right to keep him. Let’s give him time. I like the way he moves. Up until now he’s been too timid.”
