The defeat against Bologna was a heavy one for AC Milan, but it has not shaken the Rossoneri project that Gerry Cardinale has in mind.
"I always try to improve, even after a defeat. I expect to see a team ready to react, with the desire to demonstrate its qualities on the pitch and the determination to do well. The derby is an important opportunity to start again with the right spirit," said the RedBird founder to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
Cardinale, are you happy with the results achieved so far?
"I am never happy. Let me explain better: I am happy when we win a match, but that means nothing. Ask me if I am happy when I lift a trophy or when we win a Scudetto. Then I will tell you that I am truly happy. Right now, we still have a lot of work to do, and on top of that, lately there have been injuries that have made me agitated. So right now I am agitated and constantly focused on where we can improve. I have a job to do, and I will not stop until we have achieved what we want. Anyone who knows me and has worked with me knows that I am always dissatisfied until I reach the goal."
In light of the many injuries, does Milan need more players in January?
"We have to continue improving the squad because in the summer I wasn't able to do everything I wanted. We are rebuilding the team and, even though I like the new arrivals, those who have stayed and... the names I got rid of, it will probably take another couple of transfer windows to complete everything. We are only a quarter of the way through the process, and the priority is to build a team that has the ability to cope with injuries. If you participate in European competitions and play... Amorim Ball (he says exactly that), meaning football played at an extremely high tempo, with quick transitions, where everyone runs between 9 and 11 kilometres per match, you have an obligation to rotate them. That is why in January we will continue to be aggressive and opportunistic in the transfer market, and I will continue to strengthen our bench. My style is to move decisively and quickly. What matters to me is getting what we want, players... worthy of Milan. I will not waste money, but when I set my mind on signing a player, I do everything I can to succeed."
Will Krösche be Milan's new Head of Football?
"I am not close to an announcement, and I am in no hurry. Choosing the person responsible for the sporting department is one of the most important decisions after this summer's transition, when I let everyone go and took control of the club's management. I am talking to Krösche, and to other people, the best in football. With a season that ends in May and a transfer window that begins in June, I don't want to rush. Right now, I am managing the club directly, and I like it, but I cannot do it forever because I also have another job. Besides, there are people much more qualified than me. In May, however, I had to rebuild Milan from the ground up, and only someone like me could have done it. Now a person responsible for the sporting department will arrive, but he will be one piece within a much more complex organisational structure. Someone who will have to work with me. We will do everything together because I will no longer hand over the keys to the club to a sporting director or a Head of Football."
Are you satisfied with Amorim so far?
"Yes, and I have complete faith in him. At the end of Top Gun, 'my' film, there is a great line: 'I don't abandon my wingman (the pilot of the supporting aircraft, editor's note),' says Tom Cruise. And I don't abandon Ruben. He is absolutely not in danger. I will stay by his side (he repeats it twice, emphatically). I will not make the mistakes made in recent years. He is my coach, and we will continue working together until we manage to make the leap in quality. You cannot win if you constantly move from one coach to another. I chose Amorim myself. If I had made a mistake, I would admit it, but I don't think I made one. He learned a lot from what happened at Manchester United, and I hired him because he explained to me the mistakes he made there. He has the right culture, he is a leader, a manager and a well-prepared coach. At Milanello, there is a different atmosphere from that of the last four years. The credit is his. He is learning things, and the team needs to find its cohesion, understand how to rotate players while continuing to score lots of goals and win. For me, a draw is a defeat. One point is not the purpose of the game: three points are. Only through victories can we close the gap with the teams at the top."
Can "Amorim Ball" make Milan great again? Cardinale answered:
"In the days before every match, I call him and ask him: 'How can I help you? What do you need?' And he reassures me by saying: 'I'll take care of it, I'll take care of it.' He knows I am there, but he also knows how to do his job. He doesn't need me breathing down his neck: he has everything under control and is a true professional who helps people grow.
He is managing the boys and coaching the group well. I don't think this happened before (a dig at Allegri, without naming him, editor's note). A light bulb went on in my head when Ibra asked me a few months ago: 'What does Milan represent?' Since then, I have thought about those words practically every day, in everything we do. I like this group, where everyone supports one another, without power games in the dressing room: everyone is killing themselves to win. To understand that, you only need to look them in the eyes. In previous years, I used to ask myself: 'Why am I the angriest one when we don't win?' Now I no longer feel that way: the players and staff are as angry as I am."
Tomorrow will be the first derby since Milan's new era began. What kind of match do you expect?
"As Amorim says, I look at the derby as a 'simple' match. Without thinking that, in the event of a victory, we would move closer in the standings. We have to do our job, play football, score and improve in every area."
Cardinale, are Inter the favourites in the derby?
"I respect Marotta and the organisation of his club, who, even when Inzaghi left, did not miss a beat. A bit like Liverpool, who had a record-breaking season with Slot instead of Klopp. That is what I aspire to for us. Inter have every right to be where they are now. They have earned it, and I respect them for that. Do I feel the competition with them? Absolutely! Do they make me lose sleep? Absolutely yes. Competition is good, and I am confident that we will manage to reach that level. It is only a matter of time before we become better, before we lift that trophy (the Scudetto trophy, editor's note). It will not be easy, and nothing will be handed to us. I know very well what is at stake tomorrow, and I know how strong they are. And I cannot wait for the derby to arrive. I can hardly contain my excitement."
Can Milan win the Scudetto as early as this year?
"It is absolutely possible, one hundred percent. And I say that without wanting to be arrogant. I wake up every morning hoping for a small opening, meaning that Inter start drawing instead of winning and that we start putting together a run of victories. Winning is the only thing that interests me, but we are thinking about one match at a time, about gaining ground on those ahead of us, matchday after matchday."
So far, you only have the Italian Super Cup in your trophy cabinet.
"I am agitated about the four years I have lost. I want to create a world-class football organisation, with the right people. I have the feeling that Milan is still not operating at full capacity. My desire is to achieve a very rapid change, but I know that this is not compatible with football. 'You will have to be patient,' they tell me. But I... am not. And so last summer I signed Moreira, after Ramos and Gila. These are deals that I carried out myself, together with the other owners, and I stand by them."
Cardinale, which players have impressed you the most?
"That is a dangerous question, because I have to love all my... 'boys': I adore Pulisic; the same goes for Rabiot, Moreira, Gila, who is a beast, Hutchinson, Ramos, Maignan, who is our leader... And I could name all my boys."
Do you like the new San Siro?
"It is a project we have been working on for four years, a priority. The new San Siro is a fundamental milestone for Italy, a country where it seemed impossible to manage to build new facilities. We have to find a way to bring Serie A back to the level it deserves. Because a stronger Serie A also means a stronger Milan. The only way to compete with the Premier League is to start transforming its economic profile. I believe that a club like Milan and its fans deserve infrastructure of this quality. This stadium represents a very strong statement from me and RedBird about how important all of this is to us. We are doing everything possible to return to the top. The milestone reached with the stadium is important, but there is no stadium in the world that, for me, is worth as much as a victory in the derby against Inter."
Is RedBird interested in buying Al Nassr? Would you like to work with Cristiano Ronaldo?
"There have been conversations to evaluate the Al Nassr opportunity, and I was contacted to examine it, but we are at a preliminary stage. I work a lot in the Middle East: I would like to meet Ronaldo because I am curious to understand what he might want to do when he stops playing and what his future interest in the Saudi club will be. I will continue to evaluate multi-club opportunities, bearing in mind that I already have Toulouse and Milan."
Cardinale, does Milan support Galliani in the race for the presidency of the FIGC against Malagò?
"I have great respect for both of them. It is not a question of names, but rather of what they want to do."
