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Marco Amelia is happier being the No. 3 goalkeeper at Chelsea than he was being the No. 2 at Milan. But is it really that surprising?
The 33-year-old Italian keeper revealed to Libero some upsetting, but in no way surprising issues he faced in his four years at Milan. Among these issues was an unsavory lack of chemistry and discipline in the locker room.
One of the prominent issues raised was an altercation with former Milan center back Daniele Bonera, though the reasoning called into question the morals of several players. According to Amelia, he and starting goalkeeper Christian Abbiati stayed behind at Casa Milan to sign autographs for fans. The rest of the team got on the bus.
From Amelia's account:
"The press officer asked me to call some of the players back (and sign autographs) but with someone refusing to do so.
"On the way back, on the bus, I heard many players make jokes that I didn't think were appropriate and I got into a heated argument with Bonera. The others separated us before I hit him but honestly there were so many other players I wanted to hit."
Amelia went on to say the story leaked to the press because there were moles in the locker room.
The former Milan keeper also criticized his relationship with then-Milan, now-Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri. Amelia said the two never spoke and he wanted to leave, but CEO Adriano Galliani urged him to stay on.
Three days after Allegri was sacked in January 2014, Milan brought back Seedorf, the former Milan star, to right the ship. Right it he did. Milan played well under Seedorf and looked like a disciplined squad for the first time since the Carlo Ancelotti days. He was still let go at the end of the 2013-14 season. Filippo Inzaghi was brought in for 2014-15, and Milan played its way to a 10th-place finish in Serie A.
From Amelia's interview with Libero:
"To fire Seedorf at the end of the (2014) season was a huge mistake. With him, there was order and discipline in the dressing room.
"The coach wanted to get rid of some of the luxuries the squad enjoyed and make them work harder."
Many Milan fans will support Amelia's statement about letting Seedorf go. He appeared to be the right man for the job. The Professor was turning things around, but clearly the club had different ideas.
Meanwhile, Milan is on its fourth manager since Ancelotti's departure in 2010. Sinisa Mihajlovic's squad is currently in 10th place through nine games, having lost four matches to start the season.