Baresi insists he never made a mistake and explains changing role of modern defenders | OneFootball

Franco Baresi has done another interview as part of the tour to promote his new book, and he shed light on more aspects of his career at AC Milan.

Baresi is rightly regarded as one of the best central defenders of all time and he spent his entire 20-year career with Milan, captaining the side for 15 of them before passing the armband to Paolo Maldini.

He won three UEFA Champions League titles, six Serie A titles, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, two European Super Cups and two International Cups with the Rossoneri, as well as a World Cup with Italy.

As the honorary vice-president of Milan and the first Hall of Fame inductee, Baresi has just launched his second book titled ‘Ancora in gioco. Il viaggio interiore del Capitano’ all about his tales from playing in such an iconic era.

Baresi gave an interview to The Times about some of his memories at Milan including those that he played with and against, but he also commented on he way that the role of a centre-back is changing.

What is the most important thing about being a defender?

“I played with some extraordinary players. The brain is the most important skill of all. You have to have everything to be a modern defender, because the reality is there are several elements now.

“There is the physical skill and then the technical skill, because teams in modern football, they build their game from the defenders, so it’s essential to be technically perfect and physically strong, but the most important skill of all is to be intelligent. You have to have a brain as well.”

More Stories / Features

Fonseca treatment, ROI concerns and Scudetto race: Leao’s turning point crucial

16 November 2024, 18:05

Diktats, expiring contract and work to judge: Moncada’s past, present and future at Milan explained

13 November 2024, 19:15

From Amsterdam to Abidjan: The 15 Milan players called up for international duty

12 November 2024, 19:40

What do you think about how good modern defenders are with the ball at their feet?

“It’s not unfair, it’s just how the game evolves. Maybe it’s because it’s how I was as a player, but that’s one of the reasons I had so much fun.

“When I started playing ‘total football’ I was playing for the whole team, the defending, the attacking, the creating. I loved doing everything, I felt alive when I was doing that. Passing it out from defence is something you see everywhere now, every team is doing it, but the problem is you need to be skilled to do it, you need to have control.

“Sometimes it can be done too much. It impacts the rhythm, it slows the game, which reduces the quality of the game for people watching. The game is slower and slower, less fun and maybe it is about control, but football needs to have rhythm too.”

Could it be that the more traditional centre-forward and a more direct style come back into fashio?

“Without getting too technical about it, a long ball from the goalkeeper or defender is not always the answer.

“That is not the secret, it more depends on the distance between players, the movement of the receiver into the right position, because we too often think about the player making the pass, and then how fast that ball is played.

“The movement is important and the speed of the pass. That is the secret to fast and safe football.”

Did you ever make any mistakes while defending?

“Never. I made my coaches win.”

What was it like working under Fabio Capello?

“Capello was about safety first, he told us always to be concreto. Of course we had to be good at building the attack but the most important thing was always to be attentive and careful.

“He told us that was the only way we could be effective in both boxes, by not taking risks, so if someone gave the ball away at the back, Capello didn’t tolerate that. It was always ‘look forward’.

“If you passed the ball to the side or backwards under Capello, you’d better be 100 per cent certain the pass would get there.”

What is the art of beating the press?

“I would try to avoid the pressure in the first place. I would look at where an opponent was and what he was going to do and then I would find space. Sometimes it’s like defenders want that pressure now.

“When it comes, the most important thing is to be decisive. Any option is valid but you have to do it fast and with certainty. But, to me, the priority was to avoid the press, not to beat it. Even when they have the ball, you have to be thinking, ‘What is the opponent going to do next?’”

Would you have been ok against modern pressing sides like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool?

“Yessss. No problem. I would have a lot of fun now.”

What did Arrigo Sacchi bring?

“Sacchi introduced the high line because there were some big advantages and because it was new, so opponents didn’t really understand it. We did it all the time and now it’s back.

“It’s a risk but it’s all about timing, knowing when to risk and when not to risk, because it’s easy to take advantage of a mistake. If the opponent has time or if you are not set, you cannot push.

“That’s why practice is fundamental. We did it every day in training so it was natural. We knew exactly where each other would be. We knew the distances. It was like we could defend without looking.”

You used to put your arm up for offsides…

“I was just helping the linesman. I was like the original VAR. Defenders have to know what is happening all around them. I have to say, I think VAR is good for the game but defenders have to be very loyal to their job now. They have to concentrate.”

Tell us about your former team-mates and most difficult opponents…

“Rivera, Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard, Maldini, Savicevic, Weah, Baggio, Donadoni… not bad! Opponent? Easy. Maradona. Even with our defence, we knew he was the one player who could change any game in any moment.”