Leading up to the game against Serie A rivals Juventus, who are currently placed 16th after 3 matchdays in the Serie A standings, coach Stefano Pioli of AC Milan talked to the media during the press conference about his team and the situation of some players.
"In Liverpool we took off and so did our fans. Everything was at the top and we struggled: the reality is that a team in difficulty was able to react. In Liverpool they put more quality and intensity."
Milan are the favourites going to Turin to face Juventus...
"I don't think Milan are favourites: I think two very strong teams are facing each other. Whoever plays better football will have a better chance of winning."
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud's respective conditions:
"Ibra would like to be Superman. His situation is the same one as before. He will not be in the match, and Giroud will not be there either. Giroud suffered from lower back pain against Liverpool."
On the team's level currently:
"What we know is that we feel we are a strong team. We prepare ourselves to win every single match. We want to raise our level even more. I keep saying that the top 7 teams here are all close in values."
On Donnarumma and Maignan:
"We don't have any Donnarumma ghosts here", declared coach Stefano Pioli to the media, "We know how much he helped us. Maignan is great, I like him so much for the way he faces his daily work and the game. He is also incisive in communication."
On what needs to be worked on in view of defeat to Liverpool:
"Details make the difference. Against Liverpool, we were not very dynamic. We were not as aggressive as we would have liked. But, we will carry on with our work."
On Junior Messias and Pietro Pellegri:
"Junior Messias is not ready just yet. Pellegri, though, is well and he will be available. He is young with great characteristics."
Milan filed a complaint regarding Lazio fans racist chants directed at Bakayoko...
"I am proud to be part of a club that is in the frontline against discrimination."
On the Serie A race and standings:
"It will be very important for the final rankings that we score points against the teams that are below the seven favourites."
On the English football:
"In England, the level of football is the highest. We also must improve on the field and in our structures. Italian football must grow even further."
How can you beat Allegri's Juventus:
"What happened last season is now the past. Tomorrow, it will be different match. We can beat them by playing with intensity that is higher than theirs. That is the way to win matches, and we will try so."
On Juventus:
"I expect an aggressive Juve, we must be prepared for all situations", said Pioli, "As far as we are concerned, we have our attitudes in the defensive phase. Some teams have more quality and the more you run, there are risks of them getting closer to you."
On injuries:
"By playing so often it is inevitable that these situations can arise. We are playing games of great intensity, I think the situation can improve but only in matches after the next break."
On Leao's chemistry with Theo Hernandez:
"Rebic and Leao are two different players, Leao is more for one against one. On the left wing we are very dangerous, the understanding is growing. The important thing is that Rafa is inside the game and that he continues his growth as he is showing this season. Tomorrow I don't think Cuadrado will play full-back but it will be Danilo instead."
Is this team maturing?
"We have always focused a lot on our work and on our balance, we did not leave Anfield satisfied. We analysed our performance and we saw that in certain situations we could have done better. We think we are a strong group, my words are of little use because it will be the field to show the result."
On where and what to improve:
"We can improve in our construction. Liverpool attacked us hard and in numerical quality. We found some spaces, and then we scored two goals. When we worked with our quality positioning and high speed we have shown that we can put very strong opponents in difficulty."
What do you think will prevail tomorrow?
"What I expect is a stronger and more aware Milan, which has learned from a few burns what it means to play at a high level. Tomorrow will be another game of the highest level, they (Juventus) are all champions and all international players, they still think they can win the Scudetto. We want to be a team with personality that wants to lead the games, we have to be active in all phases of the game. If this is the case then it will surely be a good match."
How is the group doing after the match against Liverpool in the Champions League?
"We are ready for tomorrow. We are focused on Serie A now. We are the first in standings and we want to make another good performance. We must take some good positions in midfield, which is what we missed against Liverpool."
On the winger/full-back duels:
"The battles in football are always decisive, whether they are wide or on the middle of the pitch." Answered coach Pioli, "The challenges will be decisive. We will have to be very careful and try to win more duels."
