11/16/2007 11:28:00 PM
"After the break we are facing the most intense phase of the season both for qualification to the Champions League and the Club World Cup. This Cup for me represents a chance to settle the score."
MILANELLO - Here are the declarations made by Paolo Maldini to Milan Channel's microphones before today's training session:
What kind of trainings are you doing now there is the international break?
"These days will be useful to do some great physical and tactical training and also to get back some players."
Cagliari player Pasquale Foggia says his team will be very tough to beat against Milan...
"I think that for us a lot always depends on how we start games. It's very important to start games well. We really feel like showing what we can do because we want to start a more convincing cycle of games in the league and these games are fundamental to get points."
In the first game at San Siro, Milan will host Juventus again after two years.
"It's a nice thing because aside from the rivalry between us, a Serie A championship without Juventus isn't the same thing. I think it will be a nice game.
Then after the international break we will enter a decisive stage of the season both for qualification to the Champions League and the Club World Cup. This is an important engagement also because of the fatigue that the travel will cause to us, we will be in Japan for more than ten days. The closer the World Cup gets, the more we think about those two games, which have a huge significance for us. Our season still has two main objectives which are the league and the Champions League, even though the will to get back on top of the world is strong."
How do you consider the Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds?
"Japanese teams usually have technically skilled players, they're aggressive but are not that physically strong. They have always modeled themselves after Brazilian players. I happened to face a Japanese team with the Italian national team once, and while they usually struggly to make it into the knockout stages, they generally don't lose big.
This World Cup will also give me the chance to settle the score as twice I've won the final but three times I've lost it."
As a father what do you think about the decision to ban fans making away trips, after the sad episodes of last Sunday?
"I think one of the most significant images of last Sunday was that of the children in the stadium at Bergamo who could not understand what was going on, and perhaps we did not understand it either. I think this is a problem that can be solved with determination and strong decisions."
You went to talk with the fans...
"Yes, they called me and told me they wanted the game to not go on. I told them it was not up to us players and we could not have the game suspended, we did not understand what had really happened. Then I spoke with the referee and we realised it was a serious situation, but in my opinion it's wrong to be 'hostages' of the fans both in sports and otherwise."
The Italian volleyball girls have obtained the qualification for the Peking Olympics...
"I'm happy for them because volleyball is a great sport and once again the talent of of Italian sports people was confirmed. Italy has a lot of teams on top of the world right now in various disciplines. I follow volleyball as much as I can, preferrably the women. (
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