Saelemaekers sees similarity to AC Milan’s title-winning season after derby victory

Alexis Saelemaekers sees the same ‘sense of family’ Milan had in their title-winning campaign in 2021-22: ‘Now it’s up to us.’

Milan winger Saelemaekers spoke to reporters, including Football Italia’s, at a post-match press conference on Sunday, after the Rossoneri’s 1-0 victory over city rivals Inter.

The Belgium international returned to San Siro last summer after loan spells at Bologna and Roma.

“This is something wonderful for me, I couldn’t have dreamt of a better return to Milan. The two years away from here were special. I have great love for Milan, but I learned a lot and gained a lot of maturity,” he said.

“I came back with the responsibility to show who the real Alexis is. I add the coach’s trust too; I’ll keep going with this mentality.

“From the first day I arrived, they immediately talked to me about the derby. I know you just don’t play it, you must win it. The fans expect a lot from us, and we’ll always give everything on the pitch, but we know that in football, it’s not always enough. We’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”

Milan have been unbeaten since August, having only lost one game this season. The victory over Inter last night allowed the Rossoneri to climb to second place in the table, level on 25 points with Napoli and just two points below leaders Roma.

Saelemaekers already won the Scudetto with the Rossoneri in 2021-22 and made a comparison with that title-winning team.

“I think we have a coach who has won a lot. He knows what mentality to give the team to get there. The sense of family from the Scudetto year is very present this year.

“Now it’s up to us to show we have the mentality to continue like this. In football, nothing is certain. We’ll see what happens.

“Winning matches against big teams always makes a difference. We’ve had problems against smaller ones, but we can enjoy this victory,” Saelemaekers concluded.

“It’s important for the work done during the week, but from tomorrow, we need a mental switch. Forget this match and work for the next one. It’s important to move forward and reset.”

Milan are not involved in any European competition this season, so their next match is at home in Serie A against Lazio, on Saturday, November 29.