Galliani: “Nesta was the most similar to Palladino. That’s why he’s the coach of Monza today”

Presentation day at Monza. Alongside the new coach Alessandro Nesta, the CEO was also a protagonist in the press conference Adriano Galliani: “We chose Alessandro Nesta because we did a lot of analysis, on the playing style of the coaches we had in our sights and we understood that the coach who, in terms of playing style, was most similar to Palladino was Nesta. Hence the choice: I think that if a team does not want to change dozens of players and wants to maintain the supporting structure, it is good to choose a coach with the same footballing beliefs. We saw data that was the same as Monza and that is why today he is the coach of Monza”.

What did he ask Nesta?
“For now, nothing, I chose today’s date because eighteen years ago Nesta’s Italy became world champion. He is one of the few players to have won the World Cup with Italy and also with Milan, he is European champion in the Under 21s with Cesare Maldini on the bench. Alessandro, beyond the Champions League, is world champion with a goal: when we beat Boca Juniors in Yokohama in 2007 he also scored. I courted him, but I had less trouble than in 2002: at the time it was very hard to bring him home. I consider Nesta one of the greatest defenders in the world, we understood with Ancelotti that if he had arrived we would have won the Champions League. He played 10 years with Milan, 224 games: an extraordinary path as a player. And I wish him, but I believe and hope that he will have a similar path as a coach. All those who have had him are very happy: he is a very good coach, who will certainly do well. I want to say goodbye to Palladino, who I love: Nesta remembered not have never coached in Serie A, but he did it in Serie B in other places. Raffaele had never coached anything other than the youth sector and I want to remember Arrigo Sacchi. Our choices, mine and Berlusconi’s, have always been like this: Sacchi had never coached in Serie A and won something. Palladino had never coached in Serie A, Nesta has never coached in Serie A. The important thing is to coach Monza. Among other things, I would like to correct one thing: Monza has had two world champions as coaches, Nesta is not the first because at the time of Simmenthal Monza we had Pietro Rava, who won in 1934, and Eraldo Monzeglio, who won in ’34 and ’38. They were two defenders, one very strong like Rava and one very technical like Monzeglio. Nesta was strong and technical as a player: it was he who guided Thiago Silva, not the other way around. He was stratospheric and will certainly do well”.

Negotiation?
“In the choice I was accustomed to the work of Modesto and Franco, they brought me the data of three coaches who were on the shortlist. The choice was Nesta: 3-4-2-1 and we hope to make another 97 in the next two years. I wish and ask Alessandro 97 points in the next two championships.

Read Adriano Galliani’s full statements here