Live broadcast on February 28 Milan striker Rafael Leao launched his new book "Smile" today, in which Leao talks about all aspects of himself, including his time at Milan. Leao revealed that he barely communicated with Giampaolo when he was in charge of Milan.
In my Milan career, I've had two coaches, maybe only one, and there was hardly any contact between me and Gianpaolo, we didn't communicate with each other. At Milan, for a 19-year-old like me, adaptation was the first challenge. Initially I was looking for someone who spoke the same language in the dressing room, so the only Portuguese man in the team helped me a little bit in terms of language, but he was ** after a month, so I started to connect with other new players, like Bennacer, who joined Milan three days after I came and I still call him a brother today. ”
I scored from the start, but it wasn't easy, the coach didn't understand how to integrate me into the team, I had a cold relationship with him, I only had a formal greeting in training and nothing else, which added to the team's communication on the pitch. We didn't play well, I didn't play well, and after a few games, the coach [Jamboro] was sacked and after just seven games, everything changed again. ”
Leao also spoke about Pioli's arrival in the book: "New coach, new approach, I have to try to find space to communicate with Mr. Pioli. We didn't have a good relationship with Pioli at the beginning and I remember a press conference where I was annoyed and he said something that I shouldn't have said in my opinion and he should have discussed it in front of the team first. ”
It took us some time to understand how to connect, and he was brilliant at finding the best way to play for me and the team, and he allowed me to make a difference, which is why we were able to get closer, and the key was to find a clear, direct way to talk to each other. It's normal to discuss in the dressing room, they're always there, living in a family-like environment and not talking to each other is often the worst choice you can make. Talking always clarifies everything, and of course sometimes things don't go your way, but it's best to tell the truth that might hurt you, not a lie. ”
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