Sport | Football
Humble Milan will rise again, says Seedorf
AC Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf believes the Rossoneri have got to "humble" themselves and make qualifying for next season's Champions League their top objective for the season.
- By Duane Fonseca, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:38 January 8, 2009
- AC Milan's Dutch Clarence Seedorf (right) and Matteo Darmian during the training session of the Italian soccer club in Dubai.
- Image Credit: EPA
Dubai: AC Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf believes the Rossoneri have got to "humble" themselves and make qualifying for next season's Champions League their top objective for the season.
The Italian giants were forced to extend their stay in Dubai because of particularly harsh weather back home and are expected to fly out straight to Rome, where they will meet Serie A rivals Roma in their first official match of the New Year.
Milan capped a terrible last season by failing to finish among the top four in their domestic league; a result that kept them out of Europe's top club competition.
Carlo Ancelotti's men however, qualified for the second-tier Uefa Cup and find themselves in the knockout stages of the tournament where they will face German side Werder Bremen in the Round of 32.
And Seedorf believes last season's humiliation has taught Milan a few vital lessons and they are up to the task of having to work their way to the top.
"It's strange to watch TV and watch all the other teams playing in the Champions League, but we didn't deserve to play last year. We've seen many big teams going down in the past the same way and we've got to be humble and try and get back into it," Seedorf said at a press briefing ahead of an adidas-organised meet-and-greet session with fans.
Brazilian playmaker Kaka meanwhile said Milan must concentrate on winning the two top trophies they're playing for this season.
"Personally, we've got to focus on the Uefa Cup and the Scudetto. These are our two main objectives and obviously we'd like to win both," he added.
Milan have signed a string of senior players in recent times, with Ronaldinho and Gianluca Zambrotta arriving from Barcelona, Mathieu Flamini being lured from Arsenal, Andriy Shevchenko returning from his two nightmarish seasons at Chelsea and David Beckham joining on loan from MLS side LA Galaxy.
On the other hand, the club has failed to sign any youngsters.
Ancelotti's ageing side has had to endure a bit of criticism regarding its composition, but the man who will become the club's longest-serving manager if he manages to hold on to his job until June, defended the older players within the Rossoneri setup saying: "Milan don't have any old players, only experienced players. Ronaldinho has been doing well here and Andriy Shevchenko is the one player who is improving very quickly.
"I think he has improved most during the training camp in Dubai and he could be important in the second half of the season.
"Beckham is a very good player and a great champion. We'll use him for sure, but he needs to work hard as he's missed a few months and needs to get back to playing competitively."
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