Alexis Saelemaekers, who has certainly been one of the most positive notes of Milan’s season so far, gave a long interview to 'Corriere dello Sport' in which he spoke about Max Allegri in these terms:
"He teaches aggression, competitive aggression, and how to keep concentration high. Always. When he asks for calm, it’s because he wants us to think."
The Belgian wide player then continued on his current coach:
"From day one, everything is about working to win. With him, you grow mentally because he pushes you to give 100 percent at every moment, in every phase and in every situation, even when the match forces the team to suffer. He doesn’t need to tell us to drop deep, for example, he gives us the tools to deal with every moment. He asks us to play every ball, because something important can come from any ball. Like in Rome, where we started well but after 15 minutes they grew a lot. At that point, though, we knew how to behave, our goal was not to concede. We got some exits wrong, missed many passes, yes. Allegri often repeats that a result can depend on a single episode… Allegri changes the way you think.”
In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about the contrast between those who focus on style and those who focus on results. Saelemaekers has no doubts about which side he is on:
"Playing well or winning? Winning. People only remember who won."
A question about Rafael Leão was inevitable, Saelemaekers replied:
"Like everyone, he has his ups and downs. But he’s not someone who holds back. And he has exceptional quality.”
This season he is also playing alongside two great champions such as Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot:
“Luka has won a lot, both individually and collectively. But the humility he shows in his day-to-day work wins you over. Adri knows everything about Italian football and has an incredible personality.”
