Ibrahimovic: ‘Milan believe in Gimenez, find key for Rafael Leao’ | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic acknowledges Milan have to find the right way to convince Rafael Leao to help in defence, while they ‘believe a lot’ in Santiago Gimenez. ‘He doesn’t just score goals.’

The Serie A game with Empoli kicks off at the Stadio Castellani at 17.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Verona-Atalanta and Torino-Genoa on the Liveblog.

The squad has been transformed since Sergio Conceicao took charge on December 30, including the arrival of Kyle Walker, Santiago Gimenez, Joao Felix, Riccardo Sottil and Warren Bondo.

There are two of those new signings in the starting XI today, though Rafael Leao is carrying an ankle issue and Christian Pulisic is rested.

“Today the result is very important, we need to keep bringing victories and climb up the table. It is fundamental,” Ibrahimovic told DAZN.

Sergio Conceicao said he is still trying to convince Rafael Leao to leave his ‘comfort zone’ by helping out the defence more, something that Stefano Pioli and Paulo Fonseca already tried and failed. How did coaches get Ibrahimovic to help out in defence during his playing career?

“It depends on the type of coach you have. He can do it harshly and put you on the bench if you don’t track back, or he can try to convince you that you must defend. Modern football has a lot of defensive work,” replied Zlatan.

“There are many different personalities in football and you have to get the best out of them all. It is not an individual sport, it is a collective one, so if the coach asks you to do that work, you do it.

“The better you attack, the better you defend, and vice versa. When there are games with a lot of possession and defence, naturally there’s less defending involved, but this is all part of the game.”

Ibrahimovic on Gimenez comparisons at Milan

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 05: Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan runs with the ball during the Coppa Italia Quarter Final match between AC Milan and AS Roma at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 05, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

During the presentation press conference, new signing Santi Gimenez was compared to Ibrahimovic at his peak, so does the Milan special advisor see it that way?

“We believe a lot in Gimenez, that is why we made a big investment in him. We must help him to grow and get the best out of him, that is our job. If you look at his statistics, he’s strong in the air, scores many goals and on his debut provided two assists – one for Joao Felix, the other was ruled offside – so he doesn’t just score goals, he creates them too.

“The important thing is that he is healthy and well. It’s not easy coming to Italy from abroad, but we need to make sure he is happy and has everything he needs to do well,” concluded Ibrahimovic.

Milan swept Roma aside 3-1 midweek in the Coppa Italia quarter-final at San Siro, including the debut goal from Joao Felix, but next week face Feyenoord in the Champions League play-off to reach the Round of 16.