Vogel voices sadness about Milan’s recent drop off: “No longer the great team” | OneFootball

In recent years, AC Milan have seen themselves fall a little bit and whilst they are fighting back now, they have certainly lost some credibility as a European great.

The Milan situation can be looked at in several ways, which definitely does not help the situation.

In the long term, the fall-off has been terrible. Formerly a dominator of Serie A and Europe, the Rossoneri now can only look to their history to see examples of this, even if the mentality of the club still remains aligned with those memories.

Unfortunately, this argument can also be related back to a more current time. In the past five years, the Diavolo have risen and fallen to a certain extent. Winning the Scudetto and reaching the Champions League semi-final sit enclosed by memories of Europa League disasters and general poor performances in the league.

Today, Johann Vogel, who played in ‘one of the strongest’ Milan teams in history (the 2005/06 team), spoke to Milan News about the fall of the Rossoneri.

Johan Vogel, you are still in football…

“Yes. 14 years ago I started coaching Grasshoppers, from the Under-15s to the Under-18s. I stayed there for seven years and then went to PSV Eindhoven, where I coached the U17s. Among the coaches were Mark van Bommel and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who were my teammates and we got together.

“Then I decided to return to Switzerland, where I coached the national youth teams. Now I’m at Naters, which plays in the fourth division.”

What brought you to the Swiss fourth division?

“The president called me, he needed help and a good coach. He has the financial resources to do a good job and so I accepted. I must say that there is a good atmosphere, it’s a nice club. The level is amateur, the players have their own profession, then they come to train.”

Future plans?

“My contract expires in June, so then we’ll see. Let’s say that evaluating all the experiences I’ve had, I can say that I’d like to go back to work with young people because I have the chance to put my hand in to improve these guys and that’s motivating.”

Are there any players you have launched and for whom you are particularly fond of?

“Ndim Bajrami, formerly of Sassuolo and now at Rangers in Scotland. But also Ulisses Garcia, today of Marseille. I am happy to have contributed to their growth.”

Do you follow Milan?

“I follow them, certainly. I’ve seen some matches, it’s no longer the great team I used to play for and I’m a bit sad about that. When I was there, in 2005, there were only big names, the best in the world. That’s what Milan should always be.”

Is there a player in Milan today who can make a difference like the champions of your time?

“Leao is a player who can make a difference, but he’s too discontinuous and it’s a shame because he could be one of the best ever. Maybe if he was more consistent, if he helped more in defence… It’s not certain yet, though, he has the age to grow more. He just has to want to.”

And Theo Hernandez?

“Mentally, Theo is not a top player.”

Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images

Let’s take a few steps back, to your experience at AC Milan. What memories do you have?

“Already in Switzerland, I used to watch Domenica Sportiva, there were the exploits of Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard: they were my idols and Milan the team of my heart. The fact that I was then able to play there was a source of great pride.”

Do you have an anecdote related to the experience?

“Actually the surname should be read as it is spelled, in the French way. But Ancelotti had a way of calling me that sounded embarrassing.”

What way?

“Vögel, with the V being read as an F and the diaeresis in the o. Besides being wrong, in German, there is a similar word. There, it was all very awkward.”

Was there the same pronunciation problem with teammates?

“No, but Vieri used to call me Toblerone, as I’m Swiss. He wanted to be funny but it’s not like he was making me laugh, because I wanted to be called Johann. After he insisted on this nickname I decided one day to have him find a huge Toblerone in the locker room: ‘There, now you have your Toblerone’.

“When he saw it and opened it he came up to me and hugged me. From that day on we became very close friends. And he never called me ‘Toblerone’ again.”

Who did you get on best with?

“Seedorf, Serginho and Nesta. Alessandro above all is a special person, sincere and nice. Just think that when they won the Champions League in 2007, the first thing he did, in Athens, was to call me and say: ‘Only you are missing!’’

You only stayed one year at AC Milan, how come?

“I only stayed one year, it was a devastating team. It could win everything, always. I left because I wanted to play more and I didn’t want my poor performance to condition my career with the national team. Besides, Switzerland was going to host the European Championship in 2008, which was too important for me. That’s why I asked to leave.”

The strongest people you played with?

“Serginho and Seedorf were the strongest. Golden players, an elegance, an incredible agility. They were something exceptional.”

This summer there was talk of Mark van Bommel, a friend of yours, as a possible AC Milan coach…

“We shared a room for six years. Mark is a great guy, passionate and does everything for football, he lives for football. But in his experiences at Wolfsburg, PSV and Antwerp there was some conflict with some players and he should improve in this aspect, to become a great coach.”

A few days ago, AC Milan sold Okafor to Napoli. After a good first year, he did not repeat himself…

“Okafor is very strong, quick with the ball. But he is not mentally strong enough. I happened to coach his brother, the same except that he is slower than Noah.”

Is there a Swiss player you would recommend to Milan?

“An underrated player is Remo Freuler, maximum reliability: out of 34 games he plays 28 well and is the classic element that coaches love. And he knows Italian football very well.”

Would you see yourself back in Italy?

“I’m open to everything, if Milan want to call me I’m here.”