Rose insists Bournemouth will ‘not underestimate’ Milan but are ‘confident’ they can win
Bournemouth head coach Marco Rose is looking forward to the test that his side will get against AC Milan tomorrow night.
The Cherries had a dream 2025-26 season which saw them qualify for a European competition for the first time in their history. However, they had to bid farewell to Andoni Iraola after the campaign ended, with the Basque-born coach accepting the advances of Liverpool.
The experienced Rose took the place of Iraola. Having managed Red Bull Salzburg – who were Milan’s last Europa League opponents – Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, this is his first foray into English football.
‘It’s a dream’
Rose spoke in a press conference on the eve of the Europa League match against Milan and the German coach offered his thoughts on the contest, with his words relayed by the Echo. Bournemouth have won both games so far, against Real Socieded and Sturm Graz.
“Some will say this is the biggest game in the club’s 126-year history. This means more than anything because of the occasion, the magnitude, the fact it’s Europe, the fact it’s AC Milan and their history, and the fact that there’s a connection between the two clubs that goes back to the ’70s. How does it feel for you in the build-up to this game?
“It’s a huge game. It’s a big game and we are looking forward to play it, but I think many years ago the club had a much bigger game after the points deduction and they needed to win the last game at home and Fletch [Steve Fletcher] scored a goal. Always, but it’s not about Fletch, it’s about the whole team.
“So this is a foundation to be here, to have this kind of games, and we are looking forward to play this game. A huge club of Europe is coming here, but we feel prepared. We love to play this kind of games and now, yeah, we’re going to go for it tomorrow.”
“What are your memories of your opponents AC Milan maybe as you were growing up during your footballing career? And Ruben (Amorim) said this would be the first time you’ve faced them, is that right?
“Yeah, I played two times Inter Milan, but never AC Milan. I just had a talk with Duncan, our kit man, and we spoke about the Dutch group in AC Milan, the big time in the ’80s. Yeah, this kind of guys. So again, it’s a huge club with a lot of titles, international titles as well, Champions League.
“So it’s just good to have them here. And I love Luka Modrić as a player, as a person. I admire him. I have a deep respect for his career and looking forward to meet him tomorrow again, because we know each other from games against Real Madrid, and looking forward to see him.”
“Do you think there’ll be similarities for your Bournemouth players that faced Manchester United last season up against AC Milan under Rúben Amorim? You know he’s very particular perhaps about the formation, the style of play. From your research you’ve done on this game, do you think the players will be able to maybe draw on experiences from last season against Manchester United?
“I mean, he has his approach, but even this approach is quite flexible. You can see it. He changed things from game to game. He changed approaches in possession and out of possession.
“Some principles are quite clear. So I think it’s a different team. It’s a different competition, even if it’s the same coach. But we prepare for AC Milan and not for what we saw in the past.”Stream Soccer
“What do you expect from AC Milan?
“The quality of the opponent is really, really good, really tough to play in everything, out and in possession. So it’s getting a tough game. And if we are involved, we know we want to play our intensity. We want to play forward, we want to be front-footed. Nothing changed. So it can be quite interesting, yeah.”
“Do you think this will be the hardest game of the season?
“Well, yeah, Sociedad away was tough as well, and sometimes the smaller games are much, much more difficult to play. So every game, every opponent is interesting, and tomorrow’s AC Milan, that’s what we are focused on.”
“How are you going to balance trying to enjoy that atmosphere and enjoy this moment with also retaining that focus and retaining that belief that you are as good as AC Milan, it’s a level playing field and that you can beat them tomorrow?
“I’m not worried about our focus. I’m not worried about our confidence. So we will not underestimate the opponent, that’s for sure. But we know that we can compete if we bring our style of football on the pitch, if you are confident, and that’s what we are. We just go for it, and mostly you enjoy games if you win them.”
