MILANELLO – Here are the main comments from new AC Milan signings Mario Yepes, Marco Amelia and Sokratis Papastathopoulos at Milanello:
MARCO AMELIA:
HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS AS A MILAN PLAYER: "My first impressions upon my arrival at Milanello were more than positive. It is easy to do well in this environment that allows us new guys to feel right at home. I think it's essential. Of course when you change club it always takes a little time to adapt, but there is the right climate here at Milan for a player to prove his worth. I'm glad that everyone has faith for me. The President said some nice things about me. My feelings have been positive and I will train hard and showed the utmost seriousness. This squad has important players in it and our job will be to get ready to win a starting spot."
ON RONALDINHO: "We all hope that Dinho will remain at Milan. A player with his qualities is envied by everyone. For me it is a pleasure to be able to train with him, but here at Milan there are many other stars like Pato, Seedorf who I consider one of the greatest stars in the world. Having the opportunity to train with other great players that can only help me improve."
ON HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH ABBIATI: "I have no problem with Christian, despite what may have been written in the papers. We have a relaxed relationship, we have met up in the national team and our relationship is only more than two guys who want play football."
HIS FEELINGS WHEN HE KNEW MILAN WERE INTERESTED IN HIM: "I was surprised because at the end of last season I expected to remain at Genoa. I turned down various requests from abroad because I wanted to stay at Genoa and show what I could do. Then things changed when Buffon got injured and Storari moved to Juventus and I received a call from Milan. Receiving interest from this club means that you have the right potential to be here. So I am happy and proud to be at this club which is the most successful in the world."
ON MISSING OUT ON THE WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA: "I was disappointed that I didn’t play various games for Genoa last season but I don’t think that influenced by selection for the International side. I was back to Gigi Buffon for five years waiting to take by chance. He is the best in the world. I managed to play ten games despite missing out on the World Cup. Hopefully I will make my contribution to the Italy team in the future."
ON HIS PAST AT GENOA: "I wish everyone a good season. Last season was a particular one and I was disappointed not to have played in the return derby. I trained well and then the coach made a different selection. I didn’t have a great dialogue with Gasperini. I didn’t understand his selections but I wasn’t the only one."
ON THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON: "A team such as Milan cannot have low objectives. We have a squad that can battle on all fronts. Milan has what it takes to play game after game. Our cousins won everything last year, we will look to tear the trophies off their shirts and put them on ours."
MARIO YEPES:
HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS AS A MILAN PLAYER: “My first impressions were very positive. We are a great group of guys and professionals, friendly people who want to work hard."
ON PRESIDENT SILVIO BERLUSCONI: "He left a very positive impression on me. It is clear to see that he is very close to the team, and that he is very competent in matters concerning football."
HIS FEELINGS WHEN HE KNEW MILAN WERE INTERESTED IN HIM: “I was happy. In my case, it happened before the end of last season. I was happy a club like Milan came in for me. Any player at Milan is happy to play for a club like Milan. It was proof my hard work had paid off.
ON THE POSSIBILTY OF NOT BEING A FIRST-TEAM STARTER: “I think it is clear that there are a lot of champions here, important players who have demonstrated their worth over the years. However, Milan must compete in a number of competitions, so there is the need for a lot of quality players. When I am handed a chance to play, I’ll try to make the most of it."
ON THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON: “Last year Milan could have gone ahead of Inter in the league, then, a series of injuries stretched the squad. I think it will be a long season and therefore things will change match after match. What is important, though, is to give our all and see what happens come the end of the season."
SOKRATIS PAPASTATHOPOULOS:
HIS FIRST IMPRESSIONS AS A MILAN PLAYER: “Everything is going well, we are a well-organised team, without any problems. There is a good atmosphere, so it’s going well."
ON THE WORKING METHODS OF COACH ALLEGRI: “We are rather tired after the first days’ work, but luckily there are a lot of people who are helping us to make sure our work goes smoothly.”
ON HIS POSITION IN THE TEAM: “I can play in the centre of defence as well as full back. I’ll do whatever the coach asks me to do although I think I am better suited to playing in the middle of defence."
ON HIS FEELINGS WHEN HE KNEW MILAN WERE INTERESTED IN HIM: “It was a surprise because I still had two years to see out of my contract at Genoa. I didn’t expect anything like this to happen, but I am delighted it has."
ON HIS PAST AT GENOA: “My experience at Genoa was very positive. The whole club helped me a lot because it was my first experience in Italy. I didn’t know the language and everybody kept an eye on me."
ON THE OBJECTIVES FOR THE SEASON: “I agree with the coach’s words. We must play well and we must finish in the top three in the league."
useless to coach them football 
