AC Milan technical area director, Paolo Maldini, spoke to the microphones of DAZN before Roma - Milan kickoff:
"We all talked about how important Ibra was and still is, not only on the pitch. Pioli is the key man of our sporting rebirth, it's obvious."
"We all made quite risky choices, looking for players who had shown talent but had not yet developed it, such as Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz; Tonali's signing passed through many discussions, but we knew it was just a matter of time and the loan didn't go well for him. It was a rather risky construction of the squad, but we feel stronger and more complete than last year."
On Milan's mentality:
"The mentality is very important. Despite the injuries, our spirit made us have unexpected results. To get to the Milan of the past you need the history, which Milan has, and a general idea of an attacking football with a young team. Perhaps the path could be a little faster than expected, but everything passes from transmitting the mentality of Milan of the past."
Paolo Maldini discussed the Scudetto hopes:
"We play it with everyone. Napoli are very strong, even Roma. Even the small teams have taken away points from the bigger teams. In the league you need continuity, even if you can't think of winning all the games and a misstep will arrive."
On Mourinho's praise to Milan management:
"I am pleased. We always want to win when we are opponents, but there is great respect. He is a media phenomenon and what he did in his career will remain in the history of football."
