Cardinale reiterates Amorim backing before derby but warns: “I will be crushed if we don’t win”

Gerry Cardinale has reiterated his complete backing for Ruben Amorim ahead of AC Milan’s derby against Inter, but also made it clear that he will be very disappointed if they don’t win.

An important game is on the cards for Milan this evening, hoping to bounce back from their Bologna defeat with what would be a massive derby win. Success would bring them within four points of Inter, while a defeat would increase the gap to ten points.

Cardinale, the Milan owner, will be present at the stands in San Siro after also attending the games against Udinese and Bologna. Last night, he hosted a dinner for many Milan legends and explained his project for the club to them.

Cardinale’s post-dinner thoughts

After the dinner, Cardinale stopped to talk to the journalist Carlo Pellegatti outside the restaurant (see the video at the bottom). Among other things, he reiterated his backing for Amorim and also made it clear that he really wants to win.

What is your feeling about this evening?

“Look, it was a fantastic night. We had people from Milan getting together in support of AC Milan. And that’s all I could have hoped for. It’s a big day tomorrow, a big game, as you know…

Are emotions ramping up ahead of the game?

“My job is not to increase the emotion. My job is to keep everything steady and focused, providing the leadership so that we know what we need to do. We need to win tomorrow [today, editor’s note], not just for the first 45 minutes but also the next 45 minutes.

“It’s football, it’s sport, and the great thing about sport is that you never know. But my job is to make sure that we have a steady hand to do the best that we can do and maximise our chance of winning.

“Tonight was a really amazing event. We had legends of AC Milan who know how to win, and that means so much to me, that they came back and bought into what we do. We are bringing this passion and love of winning back.

“Let’s see how we do tomorrow. It’s a long season, but it’s the derby and it’s our home derby, so I want the win more than anything. I will be crushed if we don’t win tomorrow.”

You gave Amorim heavy backing…

“Listen, we have to come together. If we want to win, it has to be everybody. The fans, us, the press, anybody who supports AC Milan. Let’s come together and all make this possible. Ruben is doing a great job, I made the right decision on Ruben.

“I watched him today at Milanello and he really cares about his training, his managing, his coaching, and his mentoring. I met with every single one of our players and they want to win. It’s only a matter of time.

“You either want to win or you don’t want to win. You can’t fake that. I want to win, the players want to win and Amorim wants to win. I’m telling you, that I got right. Now, football is up and down, but I promise you that they want to win.”