Ahead of the game opposing AC Milan to Udinese tomorrow night in Serie A, the Rossoneri's head coach Stefano Pioli, spoke in the press conference earlier today. Here are his statements:
On Milan struggling less away than at home:
"The numbers speak for themselves, but it must be said that without the fans, playing at home or away is not so decisive. Playing in your stadium is different. However, it should still give us some advantages. In difficulty, an important performance will be needed".
On whether Romagnoli would be benched again tomorrow:
"The matches are all important, but also different. For me it is fortunate to have [several] choices. Only tomorrow morning we will try the starting line-up. I will choose who is better. We come from a good victory, now we have to give continuity to our results".
On whether Leao is falling:
"Let's not forget, that a few weeks ago there was talk of a more determined Leao during the matches. Tomorrow he can start from the beginning. He should not be pampered too much because he is fine. He must help the team with his qualities".
On Ibra missing as a leader:
"Ibra is a big champion. Our leader must be how we go out on the pitch, we proved it on Sunday. Even without Ibra and Calhanoglu there are many players who can be decisive with a play".
On whether Milan are still believing in the Scudetto:
"I would have been surprised if Ibra had said different things in the conference. It is right for him to say certain things. We have to do the race only on ourselves, we have to win as many games as possible and play our football. We are satisfied with the match in Rome. [This is] the decisive moment of the season, let's stay focused and try to get the most out of it. Then we'll see in what position we will be".
On the difference in performance between Red Star and Roma's matches:
"The two difficult weeks helped us to fix some things. The team was good at not being depressed and at returning to play at Milan. We did well in Roma, we have to continue like this".
On Ibra's absence and whether he will watch him in Sanremo tonight:
"Ibra is a one more weapon, but the fact that the team did well even without him means that we have some qualities. Tonight I will watch Juventus-Spezia. Unfortunately Sanremo ends too late for me".
On Romagnoli's form:
"You only talk about failures. For me they are simple choices. I talked to him. You can not always have the same ideas, but the important thing is respect".
On Rebic's chances for recovery ahead of tomorrow's game:
"He's fine, tomorrow morning he'll finish recovering and start against Udinese. On Sunday he played a great match, his characteristics are important for us. There is no doubt about his qualities".
On Ibra and Leao playing together as center forwards:
"I like it so much when Zlatan makes us play well. Ante is good at going deep. Leao is not a reference [as a] center forward, but [rather] in movements. His teammates will have to be good at exploiting his movements."
On Mandzukic and Bennacer:
"They are continuing their individual work which will go on throughout this week. We hope they can be back during the next week."
Many had already attended the funeral there
"We have a chance to prove that the extraordinary thing was those two weeks. It was a surprise, but there can be a drop when you play so much. Now we have to prove that we are still that extraordinary team. Let's not think about the past anymore. What we will be able to do from now on is decisive".
On Roma's game:
"The worst thing is to do things halfway. We like to attack forward, but that's okay only if the pressure is done well. In Roma we did it, we were shorter. It must be constant in our way of playing. We must obviously learn to read situations".
On changing his tactics:
"When you make a tactical choice you always look for and against. I would be ready to change something if it were needed. With the victory against Roma we have shown that we are on the right path. Now we have become a recognized danger for the opponents who they are more careful in dealing with us".
On Gotti:
"I know him well. He is an intelligent person and a good coach. He is doing well at Udinese. It will be a complicated match".
On whether he is afraid of injuries:
"I have a large squad, we never thought about absentees. Tomorrow, whoever is called upon will do well as always".
On the anger on Rebic's goal against Roma:
"The symbols of Roma's victory are two: the anger with which Rebic kicked on the occasion of the second goal and the double saving of Tomori and Tonali".
On whether he will ever change the way he plays based on the opponent:
"The games change a lot if you go ahead or behind. We have to follow our script, we have to take the field with clear rules and the right equipment. Obviously then the games change and you have to be lucid to better read the various situations".
