The new coach of the AC Milan Primavera, Ignazio Abate, spoke to the microphones of Milan TV. Here are his statements:
“Going back to Milanello? It was wonderful to cross these gates. you know what this Club represents for me, what this sports center has represented and represents: I am very happy.”
On his new role as coach of the Primavera team:
“I am proud that the choice fell on me. I thank the company, from Paolo (Maldini) to Ricky (Massara). Above all Angelo Carbone who last year was the first to believe in me and offer me this opportunity. It is a very important category, it is an adventure that must be faced with great serenity.”
On his experience coaching the U-16 AC Milan team:
“I have grown a lot in everyday life to relate to them, I am an open book with their anxieties and fears. They enriched me a lot. It was a decisive year but above all from a human aspect and technical point of view. I was allowed to experiment, to try, to know. You never stop learning. I am very curious to understand and learn. At the youth level there is really a structure that is of a high standard, from the medical area to the video area. Children grow up in a healthy and avant-garde environment.”
Abate on his objectives now:
“We have the calendar almost the same as the first team, where in two or three months there will be many matches and very few breaks. The real goal right now is to create a mentality, that sense of belonging and transmit those important values to the kids. In my opinion, the technical or tactical aspect takes over later, now we need to lay the foundations and create a soul that helps in moments of difficulty and will come out. Without heart and without soul it will be hard. We will fight to win and convince, this club is used to and requires football of a certain level. There are values, especially in this club and in sport, that must be put in the heads of the boys. If we begin to understand where we are and what shirt we wear then we will lay a good foundation. It is a prestigious jersey that must be respected and honored not every Sunday but on a daily basis. Then I think the team always reflects their coach. I feel a very strong sense of responsibility towards society. The boys are at a very important age, at a crossroads in their career where they decide what they want to do when they grow up. To undertake this profession, the most beautiful in the world, you have to make sacrifices, be professional and above all you have to deserve it, because we are not in a first team, with the boys I will try to be as sincere as possible, and to give them a hand at any time . They will find a friend and a companion they can rely on, but there is no compromise on certain values.”
