Baresi sends ‘message’ to Milan after Champions League ‘disappointment’

AC Milan’s Italian Honorary vice-president and former player Franco Baresi arrives for the draw ceremony for the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League football tournament in Istanbul on August 25, 2022. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Milan’s honorary vice-president Franco Baresi says the Rossoneri must ‘respect’ Feyenoord but admits the club and players are ‘disappointed’ for missing out on Round of 16 qualification.

Milan have avoided an Italian derby against Juventus in the Champions League knockout playoff as they were paired with Feyenoord instead.

Juventus director Gianluca Pessotto said the Bianconeri were happy to avoid an Italian derby in the Champions League and Baresi shared the same feeling.

“Yes, it’s better this way, better to avoid the Italian clash,” the Rossoneri legend told Sky Sport Italia via Milannews.

“But we also throw ourselves back into the Champions League with great respect for Feyenoord because we know that in these competitions, you should never underestimate anyone.”

Milan were in the top eight after Round 7, but failed to qualify for the Round of 16 due to a 2-1 away defeat against Fabio Cannavaro’s Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday.

“Surely we wanted to avoid this round. We were in a position to do so, to go to the round of 16 calmly, but instead, we complicated things for ourselves,” Baresi admitted.

Baresi sends ‘message’ to Milan after Champions League ‘disappointment’

“I believe there was great disappointment and bitterness; first of all, the team and the players were disappointed. Now, we must throw ourselves back into it with great determination and focus.

“We know that when they face Milan, the opponent’s attention is at its maximum, so we must be prepared, united, and regroup. In difficult situations, everyone must be good at self-examining and stepping up. So, I believe we have the qualities and the opportunity to bounce back.”

The Rossoneri have a big chance to bounce back on Sunday when they meet city rivals Inter in a Serie A derby.

Milan have won two games from two against the Nerazzurri this season.

“Let’s take it one step at a time. Right now, Sunday’s derby is next. It’s another challenge,” said Baresi.

“We have the experience of the Supercoppa; they’ll be angry, and we must know that derbies are played until the end. There will be a great atmosphere, and we must prepare ourselves, regardless of our disappointment in the Champions League. We need to show that we have the mentality and character needed.

“The message is always to be positive, to be good at forgetting what happened and looking ahead confidently,” continued Baresi.

“We’ve played great matches in the Champions League, so we shouldn’t forget that. We have the quality, so we need to have confidence. We’ve faced great teams and shown that we can compete equally when we are all united, with great focus, with a team spirit. We need to enjoy doing things together to cause trouble for the opponents because then facing us becomes difficult even for others.”

Baresi hopes the upcoming derby will boost the team’s motivation and help them overcome the recent Champions League disappointment.

“My hope is that it is. The morale isn’t very high, but we need to be ready because that game could give us the boost to get back on track,” he concluded.