Milan President Silvio Berlusconi has pledged to make his side great again, possibly with the return of Andriy Shevchenko.
“If it were up to me, I’d bring Shevchenko back immediately. We mustn’t forget that he was the one who wanted to leave and even I couldn’t stop him,†said the former Italian Prime Minister.
“I’d welcome him back with open arms. To tell the truth, it looks like a difficult move, as I don’t think Chelsea want to release him. We can only wait and see.â€
The newspapers have been full of transfer speculation linking the unsettled Ukrainian with a return to the Rossoneri just six months after his £30m summer switch.
His old club hasn’t been faring too well either, as Milan were booed off the pitch following their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Lille at San Siro midweek.
“I can understand Carlo Ancelotti’s state of mind, but I didn’t get as angry as him,†stated Berlusconi. “More than anything else I’m disappointed, because I don’t like to lose. The team gave what it had, you can’t say the players didn’t give their all.
“We have nine men on the treatment table, most of them in defence, where Marcos Cafu and Serginho have been crucial in the past. Our play isn’t very effective at the moment and we aren’t making the most of our chances. I’m not accusing the Coach or players, it’s just how I see the current situation. It all stems from the terrible injustice we suffered in the summer and that affected the whole season.â€
The Rossoneri were embroiled in the Calciopoli scandal, forcing them to enter the Champions League through the preliminary round and fight back from an eight-point Serie A penalty.
However, Berlusconi has tried to calm speculation over major January transfer activity to reinforce the squad.
“I don’t see players available at the moment who could make a huge difference,†he told ‘The Gazzetta dello Sport’. “Dida is the number one goalkeeper in the world in my view. He’s injured at the moment, but will come back and I believe he’ll sign a new contract.â€
The President also tried to reassure Ancelotti that this was not the end of an era for the Rossoneri after he won the Champions League, Scudetto, Coppa Italia and European Supercup.
“Ancelotti is untouchable. We’ve never contacted any other Coaches, because we have full faith in our Carletto. You can’t win all the time. This is a transitional season that can happen to anyone for many reasons. The Calciopoli penalty made life difficult for us, then bad luck hit with injuries. The winter break will help and next year we’ll be a great Milan again. One bad year cannot cancel all we’ve achieved in Italy and Europe, so we’ll use it as motivation to come back stronger than ever.â€
The campaign isn’t for the scrapheap quite yet, as they are in the draw for the Champions League second round.
“Milan tend to give their best against the big sides, so I hope we immediately face Barcelona or Real Madrid. We have no fear, because we are Milan, the top team in Europe looking at the results of the past few years.â€
The Scudetto looks to be heading for the city anyway, as Inter are running away at the top of the Serie A table.
“I think this is their year, as Inter are the strongest team in the easiest Division. I’d like to point out that, without irony, I am really happy for Massimo Moratti, who deserves to enjoy this moment.†(IMG:
http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)
Source: Football Italia
Ok is it just me or did our lovely Berlusconi just turn retarded?