The Rossoneri coach: “It will be a very different game from the league match.” The goalkeeper: “This year we’re more of a team, more of a family; a lot has changed. My contract? I need to stay focused on the present; today isn’t the time to talk about my future.”
Max Allegri appears in the press room at Al-Awwal Park, the 25,000-seat stadium where the Super Cup semifinals and final will be played, with his classic quip to ease some of the understandable tension: “There are a lot of you here, aren’t there?” Italian and Saudi journalists are seated in the back rows. “We want to reach the final,” Max begins, having already won three in his career (two with Juventus and one with Milan). “Napoli are strong; we’re looking for balance. They’ll be fired up after their loss to Udinese. But this is a one-off match—different—full of top-class players.”
Injury report. Allegri remains tight-lipped about the transfer market: “Fofana has recovered and will be available; as for Leao, we’ll see. Gimenez, on the other hand, will need surgery tomorrow. He underwent conservative treatment for a while and was doing well, but the ankle issue has flared up again. I hope to have him back as soon as possible. But we haven’t discussed the transfer market. Right now, our goal is to get the players back from the infirmary; then in January, we’ll see what opportunities come our way.” Max has called up six players from Milan Futuro, in Serie D. They are goalkeeper Pittarella (who has actually been part of the first-team setup for some time), defenders Sala, Dutu, and Vladimirov, forward Borsani, and, most notably, 19-year-old Maximilian Ibrahimovic, Zlatan’s son: “They have good qualities,” Allegri reiterated, “I wanted to reward them for what they’re doing in training.” Finally, on Napoli: “They were very aggressive against Juve and Roma. We have to be good at playing technically well.”
Maignan speaks—  Mike Maignan was also in the press room, and naturally dodged the topic of his contract renewal: “The most important thing is what I can do every day. People are talking about my future, but it doesn’t bother me. I have to stay focused. Today isn’t the time to talk about my future; we have a match to play. I have to give my all tomorrow night and see what happens next.” Kind words for Allegri, however: “The results are better. This year we’re more of a team, more of a family—a group where we feel at home. A lot has changed; the coach and his staff have brought calm. We have to keep going at this pace and improve every day to get positive results.” A message also for Claudio Filippi, the goalkeeper coach who helped him return to his “Magic” form: “He’s brought me peace of mind. He’s level-headed; he knows how to manage a group of goalkeepers. Working with people like that is easier. I don’t want to make comparisons, but when I talk about him, I feel very good about what he suggests in training, how he handles my personality, and other things.”