Tomorrow, Rome’s Stadio Olimpico will host the Nations League clash between Italy and Belgium, with former Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel making his debut as Belgium head coach. The Dutchman will return to the stadium where he won the Scudetto with Milan in 2011.
Despite his short spell at Milan, Van Bommel has always spoken fondly of his time at the club and playing at San Siro, and he discussed those memories again ahead of tomorrow’s game.
“I had a really good time at Milan. It was a short period, but we played really well and had a fantastic squad. I played only one match at the Olimpico and we won the Scudetto. Hopefully, we can get another good result tomorrow.”
Have you spoken to any of your former teammates?
“I’ve spoken to some of my former teammates and we’ve been arguing ahead of this game (smiles).”
On Belgium’s Milan players, van Bommel said:
“I’ve spoken to De Winter and Moreira about Milanello, the stadium and Milan. The Rossoneri need to start winning again. They haven’t been in a very good situation for a couple of years, but they need to start winning again.”
On Moreira:
“Diego is a very important player with a great character, and he makes his presence felt a lot in the dressing room. He works extremely hard on the pitch. At Milan, you can see that he is doing very well and playing at an important level. He has to keep working like this. He can play in different positions, both further forward and deeper, but the most important thing is that he plays consistently, and I think he will often start for Milan.”
On a possible future as Milan head coach, Van Bommel said:
“Let’s wait and see... For now, we’ll play the Nations League and the European Championship, then we’ll see. It would be nice, but let’s not talk about the future now.”
