Massimiliano Allegri

At the end of the day, in football, you need more than technique to win. You need other values that can push you on during difficult times.

I've always said that to win the Champions League, you need to reach a certain stage in good form and with good fitness levels.

It's going to be a pleasure to coach Cristiano Ronaldo. Certainly, he's one of the top players in the world next to Lionel Messi, and I'm looking forward to the privilege of coaching such a fantastic player.

Playing in the Champions League ought to be a pleasure and a joy.

I train with joy and fun, because if I'm not persuaded by the squad at my disposal, I try changing things around, moving players into new positions, and trying something different; otherwise, I get bored.

Any side that wins 21 out of 22 rounds is clearly doing something extraordinary.

I always say that there are manufactured coaches and natural coaches. I am one of the natural ones. I do not have to sit there and watch videos for hours. I look at what I have to watch, and in a quarter of an hour, I understand what I can understand.

Nobody should imagine that they could go to England and change the way that football is played there. Just as nobody should imagine that they could come to Italy and change the culture or the DNA of Italian football. Or even the DNA of the club where they work.

I don't really like all these tactical systems people talk about: 3-5-2, 4-3-3, and all that.

In Italy... people think that they can win matches with only systems. I say this is impossible because, otherwise, there wouldn't be players that cost 100 million euros and others who cost 1 million.

I am very busy. I work hard all the time. But I also need to relax; I need to disconnect. That's why I like horse-racing, spending time with my friends. It helps me to recover energy.

I had a few passionate discussions with my own coaches, but it wasn't for more playing time or anything like that. It was because, even then, I wanted to run the team my own way.