The coach before Milan replies to Pep with a reference to the Champions League final in Istanbul. On the San Siro match: “We need a champions’ mentality. No Osimhen? We won even without him”
The title comes at the end. Luciano Spalletti takes a breath, smiles, looks at the interlocutor who asked him about Guardiola at the back of the press room and replies in his own way, standing up: “When it comes to Pep, I stand up. And if he was offended, I apologize. We are pleased when he talks about Napoli, really. He’s a great coach, I hope I can have a laugh with him over a good Turkish coffee…”. In Istanbul, home of the Champions League final. Spalletti appears before the reporters with a zen calm and a beautiful smile. He preaches calm, minimizes Osimhen’s absence – “We are a strong group” – and invites you to enjoy evenings like these: “Champions don’t feel sorry for each other and find solutions to play against anyone, and I have a squad of champions. We have to have fun. Not just in length, but in breadth. Starting with tonight’s dinner.”
maldini and the zenith
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But first, there is to challenge Pioli’s Milan and above all of Paolo Maldini, the man Luciano tried to bring to Zenit St. Petersburg about ten years ago. Another background, after the small quarrel with Maradona: “They asked me for an experience profile that could be included in the management, so I proposed Paolo. The Russians were willing to do anything to please him, and frankly so was I, but he said no. Also, speaking of the discussion, you were going to take up a post of mine from June 2020. I’m sitting at the foot of an oak tree in front of some shirts, in full view are those of De Rossi and Maldini. I will always respect him.” On the deputy Osimhen, Spalletti cleverly dribbled: “Evaluations must be made on Raspadori. He only trained today, we’ll have another half day for him to practice. I will choose him only at the end ”.
fun
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The second dribble comes on the magical night: “I don’t know if it will be the most important of my career, but I hope there will be others. These are matches that erase everything. Milan deserved it, it will be a match that will say a lot about everyone’s future.” Osimhen’s absence, according to Spalletti, will be compensated by the collective: “The strength of a team is never an addition of the individuals, but of everyone’s qualities, of how they manage to coexist with each other. And we won some important races even without Osimhen. I expect the same. We weren’t the strongest 15 days ago and we are not the weakest now. We have to have fun, I repeat”. The last compliment goes to De Zerbi: “I take the opportunity to say that I watch all his matches carefully”. He heads to Milan, however: “We must have the mentality of champions”.
April 11, 2023 (change April 11, 2023 | 20:22)
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