Abbiati expecting a tough ride to defend the Scudetto and believes A.C Milan will miss Andrea Pirlo
A.C Milan goalkeeper, Christian Abbiati, has admitted that his team will miss influential midfielder, Andrea Pirlo, and he is expecting a stern test to defend the Scudetto.
Pirlo left the Rossoneri to join Italian giants, Juventus, a few months back on a free transfer and Abbiati is already missing him. The shot-stopper added that Pirlo was an inspirational figure not only in the matches but he was a real motivator in the training ground too.
Abbiati played alongside the Italian midfielder for more than 10 years and believes that he was very sincere to his job.
Talking to the reporters Abbiati said, “We already miss Pirlo. He’s a great champion and I wish him all of the very best. We played together for many years, also for the Under-21 side, and he’s a great friend. Juventus made a great signing.”
Pirlo played an important role in winning the 2010/11 Serie A title for Milan and reclaim the Scudetto after a seven year drought. Abbiati believes that his team will face a stern test to defend their crown, as other teams have become so strong. The 34-year-old believes that Napoli, Lazio, Juventus, A.S Roma and Inter Milan will all be challenging for the crown, so his team will need to be consistent throughout the campaign.
“It’ll be hard to defend out title as it’s always very difficult to repeat yourselves. All of the clubs have strengthened and we’ll all start from the same line. Napoli are the side who have improved the most so far.”
The former Juventus star wants to win the UEFA Champions League in the upcoming season and believes that the squad is capable of winning the competition.
Along with other teams, Milan have also strengthened their squad in the summer transfer window and have added Philippe Mexes, Stephan El-Shaarawy, Alberto Paloschi and Taye Taiwo to the team. The Rossoneri manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is still in hunt for a world class attacking midfielder and is hoping to clinch the signing before the start of the season.