Hellas Verona vs AC Milan preview - Essien targets top-three finish

Posted Saturday, October 18, 2014 by PA

Michael Essien wants to help restore AC Milan to the top of the Italian football pyramid.

The Serie A giants won the Scudetto in 2011 but have since declined, finishing second, third and then in eighth place at the end of a horrific 2013-14 campaign.

It was Clarence Seedorf who paid the price and he was replaced as head coach by another former Milan player, Filippo Inzaghi, who has reinvigorated the Rossoneri and led an early assault on the Champions League places.

Should other results go their way, Milan will break into the top three with victory at Hellas Verona on Sunday and Ghanaian midfielder Essien believes that is exactly where the club need to be.

"We all have to lift AC Milan back to the top," he told the Corriere dello Sport. "I think last season was difficult for us but now everything is better.

"I believe our main objective should be to finish in the top three, and we will fight hard to achieve that goal."

With Nigel de Jong suspended and his fellow midfielders Marco van Ginkel and Riccardo Montolivo sidelined through injury, Essien is quietly optimistic he will be named in the starting XI for the first time this season.

"I'd like to start every single game, that's normal, but I don't know if I'll play in Verona," he added.

"I'm not the type who goes and asks the coach why they're not playing. I respect the coach's choices and I'm ready to help when I am called into action."

Missing for Verona are the injured duo of Mounir Obbadi and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos.

The Gialloblu are level on 11 points with Milan and, after coming so close to qualifying for Europe last season, will be eager to push into the top spots at the expense of Inzaghi's men.

Following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cagliari, Hellas boss Andrea Mandorlini told La Repubblica Sport: "We are very happy with what we are doing.

"To have 11 points at this stage is great. We hope we can continue like this, even if we know it will be difficult."