Chapter 528: Chapter 19: Milan (Part 2)

“We don’t need to have too much pressure, our main task is to advance from the group.”

“I heard there have been transfer rumors lately, saying Milan wants to reintroduce Kaka. I’m saying it again here, Kaka is an important part of the team, and I won’t let him leave Real Madrid.”

At the end of last season, Kaka’s performance after recovering from injury was not very outstanding, and during the World Cup, Kaka also did not deliver remarkable performances.

The long absence from matches and a kind of ’enlightenment’ seem to have made Kaka somewhat leisurely in his playing style. Meanwhile, Real Madrid acquired Di Maria, leading some to believe that Kaka’s career at Real Madrid is now in its countdown stage.

In such circumstances, with ambitions to achieve new glories, Milan began considering the idea of loaning Kaka.

Mourinho mainly mentioned two names in the locker room, one was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and the other was Inzaghi.

And when he mentioned Ibrahimovic, some players couldn’t help but look at Chen Zhong, as in the previous season’s national derby, Ibrahimovic scored a beautiful scorpion kick under Chen Zhong’s defense.

This Swedish striker is always able to score beautiful and unbelievable goals, which has earned him quite a few fans.

The fans didn’t have much feedback on Mourinho’s words, and Mourinho didn’t pay much attention to this either.

For a fan, it’s natural to hope the team wins every match, but for Mourinho, the result of some matches is not as important.

In the pre-match press conference, Mourinho also expressed this characteristic.

Recently, Mourinho has been leading Real Madrid with impressive performance, and many are eager to see what sparks will fly between Real Madrid and Milan.

In the conference room, reporters eagerly raised their hands, hoping to get some big news from Mourinho.

“Hello, may I ask, for Real Madrid, is this group match with Milan the first major test of the season?”

This season, Real Madrid has not yet faced any true giants or strong teams.

Whether it’s the recently defeated Malaga or the previous Champions League group stage first-round victory over Ajax…

Of course, in some people’s minds, Ajax is also a giant, a strong team.

But in reality, Ajax has gradually turned into a stepping stone for players, a star supermarket.

Mourinho glanced at the reporter who asked this question and smiled, saying, “We’ve already played 9 matches; none of them is more important than another, and there’s no distinction between good and bad opponents. They all deserve our respect.”

“The level of preparation we have for any match is the same, and we respect the football played by our opponents.”

“However, AC Milan is a club with a different history; they and we have won a total of 16 Champions Cup titles together, so tomorrow’s match is not just a simple match.”

Speaking here, Mourinho paused; although he was the coach of Inter Milan last season and led Inter Milan to win the Triple Crown, he won’t be coaching Milan.

But this does not affect his respect for a great club.

“Currently, we are first in the group, and it’s not a knockout match. Advancing is our primary task.”

“Before attending a press conference, I’ve expressed my attitude to the players in the locker room. I don’t want them to feel too much pressure, but of course, I will give my all.”

“Tomorrow will be my 75th Champions Cup match as a coach.”

“Beyond that, it holds no special significance for me personally.”

“We only need to get 9 or 10 points to advance, and our opponents are Milan, Ousel, Ajax, so we won’t be taking any risks.”

“In the match against Milan, if we win, the day after is Wednesday; if not, it’s still Wednesday.”

“It won’t have any impact.”

Such dialogue was clearly not what the reporters wanted to hear; they hoped to hear more sensational news.

“It is said that Milan is taking this match very seriously; some say they will field 6 forwards to ensure victory in this match. What do you think about this?”

“Six?” Mourinho chuckled, saying, “I don’t know about that; you’d have to ask their coach.”

“If you want me to say, them fielding 10 forwards would be fine.”

“Could I ask them not to field certain players? If possible, I hope they won’t field Inzaghi.”

“He’s hard to deal with; the others, I think, don’t matter.”

The reporters’ eyes lit up, quickly mentioning Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s name.

It is said that when Ibrahimovic was to go to Barcelona, Mourinho made every effort to retain him, but ultimately, the Swede chose to go to Barcelona.

He yearned to win the Champions League, but in the end, he gained nothing, while the underestimated Inter Milan won the Triple Crown.

Many privately speculated that there might be a rift in the relationship between these two.

Upon hearing the reporter’s words, Mourinho chuckled in disbelief and said, “The opponents I worry about are not individual players; of course, Ibrahimovic is also a very unique player.”

“Italian people know Ibrahimovic, I also know Ibrahimovic, Spanish people don’t, because he wasn’t happy here, wasn’t valued, and played without confidence.”

“In a well-organized team, like AC Milan, he will be a player who can make a difference.”

Speaking here, Mourinho became earnest, saying, “It’s good that he left Barcelona!”

“I hope he can be happy at Milan.”

“What he brought to the pitch once lingers in my heart and has been written into my history.”

“We spent a very wonderful season together; in the team, he played an important role, soon afterward he went to Barcelona, that was his problem or choice.”

“Now he joined another great club; I’m proud of him, he wants to win the championship for all three major clubs in Italy.”

“So I need to tell Cavaleiro and Pepe how to keep an eye on him.”

These words completely dispelled the rumors of a conflict between Mourinho and Ibrahimovic, and soon after, Ibrahimovic publicly declared that Mourinho was superior to Guardiola, that Barcelona was like a group of brainless school children, and in years later, published an autobiography.

Some remarks also made many fans like this Swedish striker even more, such as that classic phrase “Zlatan never trials.”

It became a classic in the hearts of fans.

Finally, Mourinho also responded to rumors of Kaka leaving the team and twice being sent off by the referee Proenya. Mourinho clearly knew what the reporters wanted, but his answers were impeccable.

While discussing Kaka, he was straightforward, “I’ve talked to the chairman, a team can’t have 11 superstars, they need a core player.”

“Chen is undoubtedly the absolute core of Real Madrid, and Kaka has had a good understanding with Chen since Milan; how could I dismantle this pair?”

“As for Kaka’s status, I believe he’ll soon return to his best form; that’s also my job. What I need to do is lead the team to win everything given the current configuration.”

“Also, with Proenya.”

“Yes, he sent me off twice, I don’t want to talk about that.”

“What I want to say is that UEFA referees are excellent, very experienced.”

“If a coach is appointed, it shows he has the qualifications.”

“Also, officiating Real Madrid’s matches is easy, as players only focus on the game itself, and on the field, they follow rules well.”

“I myself also hope referees have no impact on the game.”

“If someone says he can watch players on the field while also paying attention to the coach on the sidelines, I would believe it because he’s really a very good referee.”

These words from Mourinho were somewhat sarcastic.

The pre-match press conference also concluded with these words.

Milan’s flight was already on the way, and tonight, Milan would arrive in Madrid, ready for the match the next day.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep