Carlo Ancelotti says:

[Aladino]

Carlo's post match commenst on Yesterdays game against Cagliari

'The match became complicated quickly, after Cagliari took the lead. Then we did well to react and believe in it, even after the missed penalty and hitting the post. Cagliari scored quickly and took heart from that, we were able to await the right moment.'

'I'm happy about Ronie's display. He hadn't played for four months: he won the penalty, he hit the post, and had many other moments of brilliance.'
'It's a significant victory considering how it came, we were able to handle things well. It was a victory of character, not quality. These three points are good for the morale, it was important to start the cycle well. It also allows us to prepare the following games well.'

'In the second half I told the full backs to go forward to create more difficulties and allow them more freedom in attack. It went well.'

'Now we have to think about recovering Seedorf and Inzaghi who at the moment aren't ready yet. Let's hope they get better in the next few hours. In this period full of matches we need everybody's help.'

[Aladino]

Carlo's press conference ahead of tonights game against Benfica

WE PLAY TO WIN
11/28/2007 12:20:00 AM
'Benfica need the points more, but we want earn the qualification. We want to continue doing well away from home and impose our football.' - ANCELOTTI AND CAFU DURING THE PRESS CONFERENCE -

(ON THE PICTURE, CARLO ANCELOTTI AND CAFU TODAY DURING THE PRESS CONFERENCE)

LISBON - Before yesterday's training session in Lisbon, Carlo Ancelotti and Marcos Cafu gave a press conference, talking about Milan's situation ahead of the Champions League match aganist Benfica. Here are the main themes discussed by the coach and the Milan defender:

CARLO ANCELOTTI

'It's an important match for both sides, even though Benfica need the points more than we do. But we want to win to ensure the qualification, although even a draw could be enough. In this long series of matches close together, we are taking every match one at a time, they're all important matches but we have the whole squad at our disposal to face this situation.'

'Tomorrow's game will certainly be different to the one at San Siro. We will find a more courageous Benfica, compared to the side that we faced in the first match. Benfica are strong in attack, so the dangers for us will come from there. In our last two away games, at Donetsk and at Cagliari, we won and we want to continue.'

'We will try to impose our football. If we do well we'll find space. Should we finish top of the group, there are two advantages. The first would be that we play the second game of the eighth finals, the decisive one, at home. Secondly, we'll have an easier opponent.'

[Aladino]

Post match comments of Juventus - Milan

I LIKED THE TEAM
12/2/2007 12:46:00 AM
"Too bad we weren't able to to please the large amounts of fans present at San Siro from the point of view of the result because the team did really well and gave their all." - THE DECLARATIONS OF ANCELOTTI -

(ON THE ARCHIVE PHOTO: CARLO ANCELOTTI)

MILAN - Here are the words of Carlo Ancelotti after Milan-Juventus 0-0:

"This evening there were numerous fans at San Siro, too bad we weren't able to please them from the point of view of the result, because we did very well and the team gave it their all. We were a bit tired from our Champions League match against Benfica, but in the second half when Juventus slowed down a little we got better and did quite well.

Perhaps the fact we didn't have all our strikers available perhaps penalised us, especially in front of the San Siro crowd. In our next home game we will have Pato available and by that time we'll hopefully have one more Cup in our collection. There were some dubious episodes, like Gilardino's offside position, he was level with the Juve defender, but it's certainly not an easy decision to make at that moment. The reference point should be his right foot, not his left, looking at the images from behind it doesn't look like offside to me.

Tuesday night there is Milan-Celtic, a match that must give us the mathematical certainty of finishing first in the group so we will have a better calendar for the eighth finals."

[Aladino]

Yesterdays press conference, aead of todays game against Celtic

LET'S WIN THE GROUP!
12/3/2007 8:48:00 PM
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Carlo Ancelotti

'Celtic are a team with great physical power, speed, and technical qualities, the Scots do very well at home and not so well away.

'Aside from tomorrow's game, Inzaghi will have other chances to go past Muller and score more than 62 goals in Europe. He really cares about that, and he's not too far away from getting there, the objective is close so let's hope he'll do it tomorrow, even though he will have many more opportunities.'

'I think what happened after Fiorentina-Inter was a very nice gesture which should be repeated on all the pitches, and is a form of great respect, fairness and correctness. Because even though there usually is respect and correctness among the players on the pitch, this was a gesture made to improve the spirit and to give a positive image of what goes on on the pitch and transmit that to the stands.'

'Aside from the injured players, tomorrow we will have other unavailable players: Jankulovski, Emerson and Ronaldo. The others should be available, aside from Serginho who suffered a knock to his knee and he will be looked at today. Ronaldo's is not a serious injury, there is optimism and I think he will be available for the first match in Tokyo.
Tomorrow we'll play with our best formation. Our head is not on the trip to Tokyo, let's think about qualifying as group leaders because we have already qualified with the first match in Lisbon against Benfica. I don't expect to make many changes because like I said we give a lot of importance to this game. If it should end in a draw, I will not fear the criticism because we go on the pitch to do our duty. I'd like to add that in the Champions League we've always done well and also tomorrow we will play with utmost fairness and respect for everyone, but I think that considering our characteristics, we will do the same against Celtic.'

'Kaká would like to wear the captain's armband, I think it won't happen yet this year, next year it might happen if that's what the whole team wants. But I believe it's more important to feel like a leader of the team than wearing the captain's armband, at Milan there are a lot of players who are leaders without being captains, and Ricky is one of those players.'

[Aladino]

WE NEED CONSISTENCY
2/9/2008 6:27:00 PM
According to Carlo Ancelotti the match against Siena will be very difficult. The Milan coach asks for consistency from his team. Inzaghi, Ronaldo, and Jankulovski are back. Seedorf will be tested in the afternoon. Kaladze will rest.

MILANELLO - Ahead of the match against Siena here is what coach Carlo Ancelotti said during today's press conference:

SIENA: "Siena play very well, with rhythm and dynamism, tomorrow's game will not be easy. We cannot make any calculations, it will be a long journey and the most important thing will be consistency of results."

THE TEAM'S SITUATION AND THE INJURED PLAYERS: "Since the Christmas break this team has done very well, especially against our contenders for the fourth place, now we have a number of crucial games before the Champions League resumes. We still have to recover lost ground and there is a long road ahead. We have a number of injured players, against Siena we can count on Ronaldo and Inzaghi, one of whom is very quick and the other who is a typical penalty area goalscorer. Seedorf has been out until yesterday, today we will see how he's doing and evaluate his condition. Tomorrow Kaladze will rest and Nesta might also stay out in the next few games. Maldini will play in the center of defence and Jankulovski is ready to play from the first minute. Ronaldo? He's not in an optimal shape, he's doing OK, but he could be doing better, in any case for me it's enough that he can play only a part of the game, you know the way I feel about him, I've never asked him to play the full ninety minutes. Inzaghi is doing well, he will try to break the offside trap and run into space. Brocchi or Emerson? They will both play, like they did in Florence.

PIRLO AS A PLAYMAKER?: "Pirlo is the best central midfielder in the world, for us he is crucial, but Andrea can also play in another zones of the pitch eventually to accomodate Emerson. But I reiterate that Pirlo for us is an indispensable element in front of the defence. His tactical position will not change in the match against Siena."
THE SITUATION OF PATO AND KAKÁ: "I hope I can recover both of them before the matches against Arsenal, we have a lot of important games before that, I'm not only thinking about Arsenal. Pato has given a big contribution, but the merit of the victories goes to everyone."

DIDA AND KALAC: "At the moment Kalac is doing fine and he will play, there's nothing strange, Zeljko's injury yesterday was absorbed without problems."

Too many injuries to go into this game feeling confident

[Aladino]

Carletto and Adriano on Arsenal and the players

[LONDON CALLING
2/19/2008 1:39:00 PM
Before departing towards London, Adriano Galliani and Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the conditions of the team and on their sensations ahead of the game. - THE DECLARATIONS -

MILAN - These are the declarations of Adriano Galliani and Carlo Ancelotti this morning at the international airport of Malpensa before leaving towards London:

ADRIANO GALLIANI:

"It's nice to arrive at the start of spring, end of summer to face the last 16 round of the Champions League. It's been happening to us for the last six years and we hope that the story continues. Tomorrow night we shall have Seedorf back, a fundamental playere for our club and when Milan plays well, also Clarence plays well. However we have the full squad available except for Ronie and Dida. Both us and Inter must face two very strong English teams. Everyone thought they would top their groups, but unfortunately it wasn't so. It doesn't depend from us because Milan did its duty as we finished on top of our group. In six years we have won seven groups, counting also the 2002/03 year when the groups were two. Milan has recovered all the injured players, it will be a tough encounter, but I continue to say that there should be the tennis style table to avoid that three big teams, amongst the three games of the Italian teams, go home already from the last 16 round, whereas in the fourth round there might be teams of lower prestege and minor strength."

CARLO ANCELOTTI:

"For tomorrow I expect a very balanced and very difficult game for both teams. Milan, right now is not at the top of its condition, but it's normal that it's like this due to the many games they have faced in this period, but it's in these type of games that unthinkable energies come out. This team ha salways done so, we must remain serene and be convinced that we can do well. Kalac? He will not be recovered at any cost, but simply if he will be in the right condition he will play. For a goalkeeper a finger is important, therefore we shall have to evaluate his conditions, otherwise Fiori will play. We managed to recover all the injured players and the problem of the goalkeepers is relative, because a game is never conditioned by a goalkeeper with regards to the game. If a team plays well, then you don't need the goalkeeper. Arsenal is a team which plays well, very dynamic and which plays a very offensive football and has a lot of enthusiasm. I think that Milan must play in its own way, with courage and personality, without leaving anything in their hands. Pato is fine and could play because he has recovered. He surely didn't have a lot of training session and he is not in the best conditions, but his knee is fine. Personallu I was never in London, neither as a player nor as a coach. It will be fascinating, a new experience."