MILAN READY TO COMPETE 7/18/2008 11:28:00 PM | acmilan.com Milanello's first press conference of the 2008/2009 season was held by Kakha Kaladze. The Milan defender talked about the arrival of Dinho and the strength of the Milan squad. - THE DECLARATIONS -
MILANELLO - Here are the declarations made by Rossonero defender Kakha Kaladze, who held a press conference at Milanello before the afternoon training session: Kala, the new season starts, what new motivations are there for this new year without the Champions League? "We have been working for two days and even without the Champions League there is no lack of motivation. Our objective for this season is to obtain the maximum, meaning both the Uefa Cup and the Scudetto. Winning the Uefa Cup would be a very good and important thing because Milan have never won it." Is Carlo Ancelotti using different methods compared to past seasons? "Yes, the working method is different compared to other years even though we have been training for just two days and it's still early to talk about it. But we have a lot of time on our hands to prepare and the chance to play a lot of friendlies. A good opportunity to prepare well for the start of the league as well as the Uefa Cup." How do you value the team? "I think the coach has a stronger squad than last year. I think it is complete in every department, but it's up to the coach and the club to make the decisions. The squad is very strong, I think, and the competition is there in every department and it's important because it motivates us players to do well." Ronaldinho? "We all know he is an exceptional player who in the past has already shown both with the Barcelona shirt and with the national team what he can do, he's a world class player." How do you think the team will start the new season? "I think we will start strongly because until halfway through September we don't have the Uefa Cup and we can concentrate on the league. Concerning how we will play, that will be up to the coach, I think that in this period we will work a lot on tactics, and I think that as a team Milan won't have any problems defensively. We are stronger compared to last season because with Ronaldinho's arrival we have filled a gap we had. This year we are more complete." Dinho's arrival has also brought a lot of enthusiasm to the fans. "Yes it was an important arrival, after two years of rumours. Both the fans and us players are very happy and enthusiastic." Who do you think is the favorite to start in goal? "I think all three of them have the possibility to become the first choice. A lot depends on them. Also in that department there's competition and I think this is important to increase a player's level." Other teams haven't made big purchases yet... "Inter have bought Mancini, a good player, he's young. Then there's talk of Lampard, but the only team who have bought a big player is Milan. I don't think that next year there will be still 20 points between us at the end of the season." There's been a lot of talk about Ronaldinho's physical shape... "At the end of the vacations it's possible to be a bit heavy, I also gained two kilograms, but it's an entirely normal situation. These are small things that don't create any problems, Milan are a big family which helps you work better." -- Cavaliere AC Milan atau tidak sama sekal! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
