Following the draw against Sampdoria, AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has been interviewed by Milan TV. Here are his statements:
On doing too little to win it:
“I completely agree even if we could have done it with Kessie in the final. We did too little, we played with [slow] rhythm and our approach was not the right one. It was a complicated match for us”.
On whether the adversary's density made it difficult for Milan to find solutions:
“Sampdoria played in the same way they played in the first leg. Today there was less rhythm, we favored their defense which was well placed. Today I struggle to be happy, the performance had to be different, there were all the right situations to play with more intensity and quality. This must make us disappointed and embittered, now we have to show that we can start off well right away”.
On Hauge:
“I hope Jens gains even more confidence, he scored an important goal for the team. It will help him to become convinced in his own means”.
On the starting line-up:
“I made choices based on the players who played a lot for the national team. Everything is open to criticism, after such a performance it is not a question of a player or a position. The team did not offer a performance up to par”.
On Saelemaekers as a full-back:
“I think he has good characteristics to do well in that role there, especially when the team leads the game. I thought I'd attack more and have a development on the flanks with a full-back a bit more qualitative ”.
