Week 9 of Serie A action saw AC Milan stunning Juventus 1-0 at the San Siro in the standout fixture of the week. With the season shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent history, here’s a round-up of all the latest news from Italy’s premier club competition.
Locatelli Delighted At Scoring Against The “Best Goalkeeper In The World”
AC Milan’s 18-year-old wonder kid Manuel Locatelli expressed his shock and delight after scoring the winner in his club’s 1-0 win over Serie A champions Juventus on Saturday. In what was his sixth appearance for his boyhood club, Locatelli grabbed his second senior goal, one which will certainly be fondly remembered by the talented Italian midfielder for years to come.
As reported by Goal, Locatelli admitted that scoring against the “best goalkeeper in the world” will remain a special moment. “I still haven’t quite realised what I’ve done,” Locatelli told Mediaset Premium. “I scored against the best goalkeeper in the world and put us within two points of the [Serie A] leaders. This goal belongs to everyone: my family, my grandparents, my uncles and my cousins who are Juve fans, but for today supported Milan.”
Locatelli’s fiery strike propelled Milan up to third in the Serie A table with 19 points from 9 games, just two behind leaders and defending champions Juventus.
Montella: Must Return To Our Home, In Europe
Meanwhile, AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella has stressed the need for the club to return to European football. Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the midweek clash against Genoa at the Marassi on Tuesday night, Montella said that it is the Rossoneri’s priority to get back to their “home”, and must focus on their short-term target.
As reported by Football Italia, Montella said in his presser: “I like to be optimistic and sincere, I don’t want to be negative. We have to think about a return to Europe, to our home. We must not fall into the trap of thinking about first place just for one night.”
With a solid start to the current campaign, Montella realises the value of keeping the player’s head in the right space in order to achieve what they set out for at the start of the season, insisting that they must not be swept away by the “euphoria” of the win over Juve.
Khedira: Buffon Remains One of The Best Goalkeepers In The World
Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira insists that club captain and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon still retains his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Buffon hasn’t exactly enjoyed the high profile success between the sticks that he is usually accustomed to, with a few notable errors showing a slight drop in performance levels. But Khedira opined that the Juve captain still ranks among the best custodians in world football.
Speaking to Premium Sport, the German midfielder said, “Criticism of Buffon? That’s football, especially for large champions. It happens when Ronaldo doesn’t score and Buffon makes the slightest mistake. He’s still one of best in the world, calm and we shouldn’t focus too much on the criticism, it’s part of the game.”
Italy and Juventus captain Buffon was named as one of the 30 footballers in the shortlist for Ballon d’Or, vindicating Khedira’s views that the veteran remains one of the very best.
Juventus lost 1-0 to rivals AC Milan at the San Siro on Saturday night, when Buffon conceded from a long range beauty by the highly rated Manuel Locatelli, leaving them just two points clear of AS Roma and Milan in the Serie A table.
Silva Wishes To Stay At PSG
PSG captain Thiago Silva has expressed his wish to stay at Paris Saint-Germain and sign a contract extension amid interest from Juventus and former club AC Milan. The Italian champions are reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian defender on a Bosman transfer once his contract expires at the end of the current season.
But Silva, speaking after his side’s draw against Marseille last week, reiterated his desire to continue in the colours of the Ligue 1 champions beyond this season.
He said: “My future? I’ve decided: I want to stay at PSG. The club and I started talking about my renewal last season, but at some point the discussions were interrupted and I don’t know why. Certainly I’ll talk with the President and communicate to him my intention to renew my contract. I want to stay and I want to renew.”
PSG have endured a tough start to the campaign, as they lie in an unfamiliar third position in the table, six points behind leaders Nice who remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Silva’s form will be crucial in the run up to their title defence this season, and getting the contract talks out of the way should ease up the tensions that surround the club currently.
