Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is aiming high after three big summer signings that should ensure the Rossoneri come back from their worst recent season.
Last year the 2007 European champions failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in ten years and never got their scudetto challenge going despite the arrival of Brazil boy wonder Alexandre Pato.
But this summer they have stiffened their ageing defence with Barcelona's Italy flanker Gianluca Zambrotta, brought flair and grit into the centre of the park with Arsenal's French midfielder Mathieu Flamini and, above all, united Brazil ace Ronadinho with international team-mate Kaka'.
''We have bought excellent players: a great defender, a very great midfielder and a phenomenon up front,'' Ancelotti said as Milan prepared their first pre-season warm-up against Serie C side Cremona Wednesday.
The coach declined to compare his line-up with that of Italian champions Inter, which has bagged ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho as new tactician and is pursuing Blues midfielder Frank Lampard as well as Porto midfielder Ricardo Quaresma.
''We only like to make comparisons with ourselves,'' he said.
''This side is stronger than last year's. It will be the field of play that will decide who is better, Inter or us''.
Asked about a reported world record bid of 70-80 million pounds (88-100 million euros) from Chelsea for Kaka', Ancelotti said the Brazil star was ''flattered by the attention'' but happy with Milan.
As for Ronaldinho, the coach acknowledged he was not in the best shape after hardly appearing for Barcelona over the last four months but would be ''helped'' get back into form by playing in the Beijing Olympics.
The former European Footballer of the Year will be ''very stimulated by Milan after getting this fresh chance,'' Ancelotti said.
The arrival of the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year has sparked Ronaldinho fever in Milan.
Adidas have said they've already got some 11,000 orders for their new Ronaldinho replica shirts.
Ronaldinho will play in a No.80 shirt because he was born in 1980.
Vice President Adriano Galliani has denied reports Clarence Seedorf had refused to give the ex-Barcelona star his No.10 shirt.
''We've never pressured anyone into giving up a jersey and we're not going to start now,'' Galliani said.
