Pirlo: Milan Must, And Will, Defeat Lazio

Milan were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at the San Siro by Genoa just days ago, due to a late strike by Diego Milito that cancelled out David Beckham’s stunning first-half free kick.

The draw meant that the Rossoneri did not take full advantage of Juventus’ 2-1 slip up away to Udinese, and it also resulted in them falling even further behind their cross-town rivals and the current league leaders, Inter.

Consequently, the outcome of their match at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio this weekend could prove absolutely crucial to their title ambitions, something that Andrea Pirlo stressed in a recent interview.

“Lazio are struggling at present, and so we must take advantage of this and build on our performances in recent times,” Pirlo told the Milan Channel.

“We are going to win against Lazio, because it’s what we need to do,” he added.

“If we are to draw like the other night, then we will lose more points, and that is not what we want, as we could drop further down the standings.

“The season is very long, and there is still time, however we must make our move now.”

With Inter and Juventus facing relatively straightforward home matches against Torino and Cagliari respectively, the Rossoneri must ensure that they claim all three points in the Italian capital this weekend.

Paolo Maldini Is The ‘Most Loved Player In Serie A’

La Gazzetta dello Sport asked 100 top flight players to name the man who most inspired them to pursue a career in football.

Milan skipper Paolo Maldini got the majority of the votes in front of former Napoli hero Diego Maradona and ex-Juventus and Italy ace Roberto Baggio.

Maldini has become a cult figure in the peninsula after playing over 600 games with the Diavoli in an outstanding career which is expected to come to an end this year.

The legendary left-back’s trophy cabinet boasts almost every major piece of silverware in world football, but he painfully missed out on World Cup glory and retired from international football after the doomed adventure at the 2002 event in Japan and South Korea.

That is why Goal.com is currently leading a campaign to persuade Italy boss Marcello Lippi to hand him a swansong on the international stage when Italy and Brazil will square off at the Emirates Stadium on February 10.