Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf has declared that he wants a positive reaction from his teammates when they play Empoli on Sunday afternoon.

The Rossoneri crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal on Tuesday and the Italian Press are talking of a crisis at Via Turati.

“We are content and focused on getting things back in order as quickly as possible,” Seedorf told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We have to find the strength to go forward until the end and we certainly cannot think of our trip to Empoli as a walk in the park.”

The European Cup holders lost 1-0 to the Tuscans at San Siro in October, but Seedorf is keen to look at the bigger picture.

“We have to believe in ourselves,” the Dutchman reiterated. “Last year we did even more complicated things. Now we will have the possibility to train ourselves and recover our injured. I am confident that at the end of the season we will achieve our major objective in the championship.”

Despite his intention to move on from Milan’s midweek defeat by the Gunners, the 31-year-old is struggling to come to terms with it.

“There is a lot of disappointment and sadness, but also a consciousness that we have given our all and more pride for having done well over the years,” he insisted.

The Rossoneri No 10 was also grateful of the support given to the players by the club’s President and Vice-President.

“We are happy because Adriano Galliani and Silvio Berlusconi have thanked each and every one of us. We are also thankful to the fans for their applause. For three years people have said something should change, but it is not like this.”

Seedorf defended the club’s directors and reserved special praise for Silvio Berlusconi.

“We have an intelligent President, in a position to understand what it takes to be competitive in the future. Berlusconi has made this the most successful club of the last 20 years.”

The four-time Champions League winner also felt inclined to comment on the prospect of former teammate Andriy Shevchenko returning to Milanello.

“It is right to talk of Sheva because he has done a lot for Milan in the past and is still among the best strikers in the world. But I do not believe it will happen.”

Finally, the Dutchman was cautious over the future of Paolo Maldini, who told journalists yesterday that he was reconsidering his retirement plans.

“At 40, only he can decide if to continue or not - for us it would be a pleasure to still have him around. If he decided to continue all the team would be happy and do everything to ensure he finished his career in the best way. In the last two games with Arsenal he was the best player on the pitch. It is not a question of age, but motivation, courage and discipline.”