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Kaka praises Gourcuff


Kaka has praised Yoann Gourcuff after the French youngster made a scoring start to his Milan career.

The French starlet netted against AEK Athens on Wednesday, when Milan dominated the Greeks 3-0 in their opening Group H match at the San Siro.

“Gourcuff is talented and intelligent – tonight we really enjoyed ourselves out there,” said Kaka (pictured) after the match.

“With these kind of players we can start a new cycle, this is exactly the attitude we need if we want this to be a great season,” continued the Brazilian international, who was also on target after converting a penalty.

“The arrival of these new players is very important for us, the Champions League is a special tournament for every one of us, but this year the championship is also interesting and the eight-point deduction is stimulating.

“AEK had a few chances before we scored the first goal, but we are all feeling well and are slowly finding our best physical condition – I trust we can do well.”

New signing Ricardo Oliveira was handed his first start for the Rossoneri after Carlo Ancelotti decided to leave Alberto Gilardino on the bench and the striker repaid the Coach for his trust.

“This is a high-quality squad, it’s nice to play with teammates like this,” said the former Betis man.

“It’s hard to lose when you have players like Kaka on your side, and the final result could have been even more severe,” added Oliveira, who was substituted for Clarence Seedorf in the closing stages.

“We won a very important match, as this wasn’t an easy game. Our physical conditions can only improve.

“But I will be on top form by the end of the week, and this year I can play well and score many goals.”

Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani was radiant after the win and dismissed rumours suggesting Gilardino’s disappointment for not being part of the match.

“We played an excellent game, we couldn’t have started better,” said the club official to Sky Italia.

“Gilardino will play on Sunday, this is all planned. We have 24 good players on our side so the Coach is forced to choose every time, but our men know when their turn will come.

“We have an intense schedule ahead of us, with a match every three days, so everyone will have a chance to play. If we concentrate I think we can do very well.”

The Rossoneri now lead Group H, after the match between Anderlecht and Lille ended with a 1-1 draw.