AC Milan head coach, Stefano Pioli, spoke to the media during today's press conference about the derby that will be played tomorrow at the San Siro. Here are his words:
"The matches are all different. It will be a different game from the one against Sassuolo. We will continue our game principles. We will need great quality."
Thoughts on Milan's mercato?
"We want to invest in young prospects. It was also important to confirm an important set of players who still have ample room for improvement."
Are Inter strong than last season?
"It will be a balanced championship with many teams playing for the final victory. Tomorrow there will be two teams on the field that know each other well. The derby is always the derby, I expect a match with great duels. Whoever wins the most will have a better chance of winning the match."
Pioli on his team in view of the derby:
"It doesn't matter how you get to certain games, but how you play. We have prepared ourselves well."
Who are favourites to win the derby?
"I see a balanced game and some certain moments can make the difference. We should have the clarity to come out as favorites from these said instances. We must have our identity, carrying it forward during the match beyond what happens; we are working on it: we have our own ideas and our style of playing."
On the importance of Rafael Leao:
"To win these matches you need to make the right choices at the right time. There is not only Leao who is certainly important for us, but there are many situations in which you can be dangerous."
About the change of ownership:
"I know they will be present tomorrow, I know that maybe they will meet the team. I met Cardinale, he has a lot of enthusiasm; Elliott has brought Milan back to the top and the new ownership has the same ambitions: we are in good hands."
How do you work and handle a large squad?
"We are really very much covered in some departments. But, it is a busy season and so that's okay. Everyone knows they will have to fight to play the games. It will be good to have a few more players."
What role would Sergino Dest play?
"We are all sorry for Florenzi. They are trying to understand the recovery times. Dest has quality and speed. We took him to play as a full-back, but he can also be useful in other areas of the pitch."
Are you missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
"Zlatan is with us. Then we have all the right reasons. Champions League list? We are evaluating it, there is time until tonight: there will be painful choices, because everyone wants to play the Champions League."
Will there be other choices compared to the game against Sassuolo?
"Of course. Against Sassuolo we forced some plays too much, we made too many long passes. Sometimes we made a mistake technically, other times we made a wrong move. Tomorrow we need to do better. I am sure I am coaching a very strong and very competitive group: we prepare every match as if it were the last and most important one; it is never the performance of the individual that makes me change my mind. We were too frenetic in Reggio Emilia. I will prepare every single game as usual because I am convinced that I have a strong team."
How is Divock Origi?
"He is better, he will start from the bench but he represents an important return for us."
Pioli on Charles De Ketelaere and if he can put pressure on Marcelo Brozovic:
"Charles is a strong player. When we have the ball we have to look for him. When we are not in possession we know we have to be compact and aggressive. Tomorrow we will have to have a great game in both phases. We will have to move well, without the ball tomorrow the compactness and the desire to sacrifice will be fundamental."
How is the Inter team without Lukaku?
"Last year, we played against them without Lukaku. They will prepare themselves with great attention as we did. It is a derby, an important direct match. Two teams who want to win will face each other, it will be a battle. Tomorrow is also a match where centimetres would make a difference."
Are you afraid of losing Rafael Leao?
"The rumors are spread by you and then ask me if I was afraid (smiles). I was never afraid of losing him because of the boy's attitudes or because of what the club told me."
Are you afraid Inter?
"They counter-attack very quickly. It will be important to stay compact and have the right coverage. Obviously, to be dangerous we will have to risk something, but we have the qualities to do it."
What can you tell us about Aster Vranckx?
"He combines quality and quantity, he is a complete midfielder. He is an interesting guy", said coach Pioli, "The club continues to focus on young talents and he falls into this category."
How is Olivier Giroud?
"He is charged as we all are. We all feel the derby a lot. Olivier is important to us, both from a technical and personality point of view. What he did last year in the return derby will give him even more energy."
Are you working on something on a tactical level, not just for the derby?
"I waited for the transfer market to end. I still think that we shouldn't play official matches with the transfer market still in progress. The arrival of some players is leading me to think about some possible tactical novelty."
Inter are very strong in set-pieces...
"Yes and my choices will also go in this direction. We will have a team that will have a few more inches."
Pioli added:
"We start from 0-0 and 11 vs 11, with 70 thousand fans for us. It won't be a walk in the park."
Was there too much haste in the previous game against Sassuolo?
"We are doing well on the pitch and we want to break everything. But we must have the right clarity to play, the frenzy is never a good factor."
Stefano Pioli, head coach of AC Milan, waits for the start of the Italian Serie A football match between Sassuolo and AC Milan at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, Italy, on August 30, 2022. (Photo by Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
