Albertini: 'Milan can't afford to stay out of Europe'
Albertini was calciomercato.com’s “special correspondent” to France 1998, where he reported from the Italy locker room.
“It’s an exciting race for the scudetto: Juve surrendered the intiative to its rivals, only to now try to get back in the race.
"Napoli are having a wonderful season, they handled their difficult start well and are now a title contender.
"Roma are in the hunt too, though we’ll have to see how they manage the team’s state of mind after their mauling at the Nou Camp. And, of course, you have Inter too, they made some important signings and have a manager with experience”.
Albertini then turned to Milan, the club he represented from 1988 to 2002, quickly becoming a club legend.
“Milan are a work in progress, but they can’t afford another year outside of Europe.
"Mihajlovic? I like him a lot, the club needs to be clever and give him time. Time is key for a coach.
Asked how much uncertainty with regards to Milan’s future could affect the team’s performance, Albertini claimed that there could be some trickle down.
“In football everything is contagious, from negativity to positive feelings, and confusion, too...”
The former Azzurri international then turned to the current Italian squad, as well Antonio Conte's possible permanence, and the country's approach to youth.
“Conte is a graet coach, he needs as much time as possible to prepare next year’s European Championships.
“I think that a lot of Europe’s great managers will bemoving next summer, and Conte could be on the move too.
“It’s hard to see Pirlo not be included in Italy’s 23-man squad”.
“We need to create structures that help us keep our best talents in Italy. There’s too much of a gap between the first team and the youth setup (the Primavera), and promising young players lose their way when they have to make the step. We used to send them on loan so they could improve and return to the coop, now loans are used to balance the books. In other countries they have reserve sides, they help young players improve”.
