AC Milan technical area director, Paolo Maldini, spoke to Sky Sport Italia before kick-off of Genoa - AC Milan. He said the following:
"Shevchenko? He called me yesterday and I asked him 'what do you want?'. He wanted to see each other before the game. We met before the warm-up, I saw him and Mauro and it is impressive to see them on the other side. They are a piece of Milan."
Any speech made to the team?
""I do not speak to the team if there is no need, what the coach said remains inside the locker room. We have defections like everyone else but we have to start again. There have never been easy games in Genoa but we are strong. We have to start with the right mentality and try to get back to our concentration level of before."
Can this team improve further?
"There are many margins for improvement being a young team. Managing emotions is something you learn with experience. Apart from a few players in the Champions League, the players are young. You also need to know how to manage your body better by playing every three days. We know that we have made many steps forward but we cannot be satisfied because we must be worthy of the history of this club."
Maldini On the emotions from this match, facing Shevchenko...
"I do not consider myself a cold person. For Shevchenko it will undoubtedly be a particular match for all that Milan has meant for him. As for us, we have gone from being super unbeaten to two consecutive defeats in the league interspersed with the match in Madrid which gave us hope in the Champions League but took away a lot from us physically."
