FOR THE FANS AND THE CLUB


(IN THE PHOTO: the press conference) 
MILAN – Coach Cristian Brocchi and club captain Riccardo Montolivo took questions from the press on Friday night ahead of the TIM Cup final with Juventus. This is what the two men had to say: 
CRISTIAN BROCCHI"It’s always nice and special to take part in a final and I think the team will have the desire for this big occasion. Chances to win silverware don’t come around every day. The words of the President and the visit to the Vatican only strengthen this feeling. Every team has its weaknesses. The key thing is to have a ferocious determination and the mental approach, something which Juve have, as well as the desire to battle. Winning would be brilliant and fantastic. For the fans and for those that have suffered in recent years and for those who want to celebrate and a reason to smile. I won’t give in, let that be clear, even in this difficult moment. I am very determined. We are coming to the end of this brief experience and I hope we can achieve something important. I have seen a different spirit, but I won’t take anything for granted because even before the Roma game the players trained well and then we saw what performance was produced. I hope this final will get the best out of the players and their true worth. A lot of players are playing for their futures, those that are coming towards the end of their contracts, those who want to stay, those that will go elsewhere. We cannot think about the past but rather focus on the present. The spirit and the sense of belonging will be key factors tomorrow. The Juve team always help each other out even when one or two players might be having an off day. Spirit and working as a team are needed tomorrow. The last time I was here was for the TIM Cup final in 2013 and it is bringing those memories back. This has been a tough period but unfortunately there have been some match incidents that haven’t gone our way. We knew it was going to be hard and nothing was to be taken for granted. This has been an immense experience. I have learnt a lot of things and how to manage situations on and off the pitch. I am massively motivated. I am a coach now, but I still experience the same emotions of a player. I will have to be sharp enough to make the right choices during the game tomorrow against a great and prepared coach like Allegri. The team have a big chance to make the club and the fans happy. This means a huge amount to me, even if I repeat the most important aspect is the team. Niang has trained over the past two weeks. The medical staff have achieved a minor miracle. He isn’t fit enough for the full 90 minutes, we cannot expect to have him from the start, but I am thinking about giving him some playing time if we need his contribution. Donnarumma has shown that he doesn’t let the emotion of it all get the better of him. He is calm and composed. A top goalie handles the pressure. He does this with no problems at all. There are occasions when the result is what matters most. I have explained my ideas, hoping that the players understand my vision. All that matters tomorrow is making life hard for Juve and making the fans and club happy. I would be happy should I be kept on next season. At the moment though the cup final is what counts. Whatever happens, I have lived my dream. The President is a brilliant motivator. It’s great when he speaks and everyone listens in. Abate and Antonelli are two important absentees. We only have De Sciglio and Calabria as full backs."
RICCARDO MONTOLIVO"This is a big chance. This is the final call for us. But I believe in this team, even if Juve start as favourites. We have the ability to create them problems. We could have easily beaten them in the second league meeting this season. We won’t start off defeated. We are going to battle and you will see a fully focused Milan. I want to tell the fans that we are the first to believe we can win. We have trained very well and whenever we have taken to the pitch with the right focus we have always played well this season. We will be ready tomorrow. I hope our fans will be in good voice. Tomorrow will be my second final, after EURO 2012. We are all eager to get the match underway, we cannot wait. It’s a final, they are the favourites, but we have plenty of ways to hurt them. We will need to be on our toes tomorrow and play as a team. We have shown this on several occasions this season while in others we haven’t and we have put in some woeful performances. Team spirit will be needed. If we are compact and close down the space between their midfield and attack, we will be able to have our say. But talk is cheap, tomorrow is the last chance for this team to show that we’re up to the Milan standard. We have to let our football do the talking. The whole team has to play a leading role. We have to play as one and then the qualities of each player will emerge."