Donadoni believes Milan need ‘consistency’ and picks out most important player
Roberto Donadoni believes that AC Milan have been too inconsistent at the start of the season, but hopes Ruben Amorim can fix that.
Donadoni is someone who understands what it takes to win with Milan given that he was part of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello’s dominant 1990s sides across his two spells with the club, playing alongside legends like Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and George Weah.
His first stint from 1986 to 1996 established him as one of Italy’s top midfielders, winning five Scudetti and three European Cups/Champions Leagues. He returned in 1997 and helped the Rossoneri to yet another Serie A title in 1999 before moving to Al-Ittihad
Donadoni gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport which was published on the day of the game between two of his former clubs, Milan and Bologna. He coached the Rossoblu from 2015 to 2018, with his last job being at Spezia last season.
Did you see anything new in Amorim?
“Honestly, no, but let’s be clear. A coach doesn’t necessarily have to have something new to offer. Amorim certainly has his own ideas, including variations in formation, which he needs to implement and which inevitably take time to develop.”
Eighteen points on the board: surprising given the start?
“That’s what the club expected… I hope Milan continue to progress and can experience the rest of the season with fewer ups and downs.
“There’s certainly nothing to complain about with the results achieved so far, but so far, Amorim’s team has shown a bit of inconsistency, which is something we need to work on. If they also find consistency in their results, then their growth will be more complete.”
Let’s get to the match. A straightforward choice, just one player: if you could today, who from Milan and Bologna would you bring into your hypothetical team?
“Orsolini on one side, because I think he’s reached remarkable maturity, even in terms of scoring. And Rabiot on the other.”
Will the absence of the former weigh more on Palladino or the latter on Amorim?
“I’d say the Frenchman for Amorim. Rabiot has clearly acquired a unique depth and personality in all the positions he occupies.”
Do you like Cisse? And Ramos?
“I really like Cisse: he does a lot of things and does them well. As for Ramos, I’ve read and heard that there’s been a lot of criticism surrounding him: yes, it’s true, a striker has to score goals, but I don’t mind him.
“He may not be precise at times, but he’s a participatory player, in the sense that he’s a player who also works for others. So he should be appreciated while we wait for him to finally break through, because he has the qualities.”
With all due differences in the squad, is this a more important test for Amorim or for Palladino?
“I think it’s even more so for Milan, who then have the derby: arriving there with a win is the ideal context to prepare for the game. For Bologna, it will be important to see if they can return to beating a big team after their home defeat to Inter.
“It’s clearly happened in their recent history, and we’ll see if it happens again. Let’s just say that facing Milan at San Siro is always uncomfortable, but today even Bologna is finding their form. Whatever happens, though, it’s only the end of October…”
Milan approached you in the past, and what did you say? How did it really go?
“Let’s talk about the pre-China period: there were contacts with Milan, the affection was certainly there, the desire to experience another adventure with the Rossoneri as well.
“But at that point I had already made that commitment [with Shenzhen] and I believe that seriousness and the word still have meaning, a strong specific weight. Is never having coached the Rossoneri a regret? No, no…”
