Imminent vacancy and the De Rossi effect: What the Youth League could mean for Abate

Today Milan Primavera will play the Final Four of the UEFA Youth League and it will be the opportunity for Ignazio Abate to seriously apply to take the reins of the first team.

As our colleagues at SempreMilan.it write, Milan’s first team might have left Europe last night but there is still a Rossoneri team that can compete for continental glory. This is the Primavera team led by Abate who will challenge Porto today at 18:00 CEST to aim to reach the Youth League final.

“Being here again is a result that cannot be taken for granted,” said Abate on the eve of the game in Switzerland. These correct words underline the path begun in the last campaign which has established Milan as being among the four best sides in Europe two seasons in a row.

Today history repeats itself, hopefully not completely, because aast year it was Hajduk Split (who won3-1) that marked the end of the dream. Today the opponents Porto appear tough but not indestructible.

A positive journey

Milan Primavera’s journey in the Youth League under the guidance of Abate has been an exciting one, marked by challenges and triumphs that have rewritten the club’s history at youth level.

The team, composed mainly of talents born in 2005 and 2006, have continued the Youth League path along the lines of the previous season too which was the first time the club had reached that stage.

Abate was able to instil a winning mentality in the group, uniting the players with a strong team spirit. The key this year was precisely the humility, ambition and cohesion of the group, which worked day after day to improve.

The Rossoneri coach approached the Youth League as an educational opportunity for himself and his boys. Studying foreign teams and understanding their way of interpreting the game has enriched him as a manager and coach.

The victory against Newcastle, a 4-0 hammering, and the two victories against Dortmund, testified to the adaptive abilities of the young Rossoneri. Furthermore, the successes in the knockout phase against Braga and Real Madrid underline the excellent preparation provided by Abate in managing international challenges.

A big endorsement

Milan’s journey in the Youth League was also a test for Abate’s leadership skills, something not unnoticed and in fact much appreciated by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The former defender has shown that he can be a point of reference not only for the Primavera, but also for a future at the helm of the first team.

Ibra, the main leader of Milan’s management heading into the summer will have the task of appointing the next coach and it is not unlikely that Abate himself will be in the running.

The friendship that binds the Swede to the former full-back is just a pretext, the truth is that Zlatan is aware of Abate’s qualities and finds in him the same hunger for victories that he hopes to see in the first team.