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Milan have faith in Leonardo

Image: Leonardo: Under pressure

Adriano Galliani insists the AC Milan hierarchy have complete faith in the abilities of coach Leonardo.

Brazilian boss will be given time to get things right

Adriano Galliani insists the AC Milan hierarchy have complete faith in the abilities of coach Leonardo. The Serie A giants have endured a lacklustre start to the 2009/10 campaign, with demoralising setbacks suffered in domestic and continental competition. The Rossoneri currently find themselves languishing in mid-table in the Italian top-flight six games into the new season, while they slipped to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Swiss minnows FC Zurich in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Pressure is now mounting on Brazilian boss Leonardo just five months into his reign, with questions levelled at his lack of coaching experience. However, Milan's vice-president Galliani claims the club have no intention of parting with their boss any time soon. "We can do nothing but confirm our faith in Leonardo," he told Sky Italia. "At the moment things are going badly. We've lived through many good years but now things aren't going well. "How will we end this crisis? We'll see."

Balance

While his position continues to come under ever-increasing threat, Leonardo remains remarkably relaxed. He admits performances are not good enough at the moment, but following the midweek European setback against Zurich he calmly identified the areas he will be looking to work on in the coming weeks. "We're not prepared for defending, we need to rediscover our balance and shape," he said. "Right now certain individuals are out of form, others are injured and these problems magnify themselves." Meanwhile, Finivest, the Berlusconi family-owned company in control of Milan, have once again denied reports suggesting they are looking to sell the club. "There are no plans for a total or partial sale of shares in AC Milan," read a short statement released on Thursday.