In view of tomorrow night's Serie A clash against Juventus at the San Siro, AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has spoken in the usual press conference to the media. Here are his words:
"Within a season there are 2 or 3 games that weigh more than three points and tomorrow's match has an important weight. It would have been better to play better with Chelsea, but the motivations are there regardless of the opponent. We didn't play as we know how. We are all responsible, me in the first place, for Wednesday and there is in us all the desire and determination to play better than how we played in London."
On Charles De Ketelaere:
"Charles has a great future ahead of him. I am satisfied with what he is doing. Many criticized Leao or Tonali in the past too. De Ketelaere is a talented player who needs time, the path he has taken is the right one."
Pioli talks about Massimiliano Allagri's words when he said 'Take 5 starters away from Milan...'
"If only it had been 5 ... These are moments that happen, but I have a team ready. I see a group determined to continue our journey."
Are you worried about conceding many goals?
"We have conceded a few goals too many. We have to do better. Chelsea were good at exploiting our mistakes on Wednesday. We have to pay more attention and make fewer mistakes."
Is Charles De Ketelaere a mystery to you?
"For me, he is absolutely not a mystery."
Did you talk with Gerry Cardinale in London?
"No, he wanted the team to be focused. He was certainly not satisfied with the performance."
How's the team doing?
"We closed the match against Chelsea immediately, then we'll go back to thinking about it from Sunday morning. Yesterday, the boys were tired, but I saw them eager. It doesn't mean that tomorrow we will win the game: let's not forget which team and what goals Juventus have, but we will give it our all. As for the Champions League, it is clear that we must level up."
Perhaps Milan concede more because they go to attack a lot?
"It is true that we are more offensive as this year we are playing with a more offensive attacking midfielder. But I think it depends on this, because in many situations we are in numerical superiority and therefore we could have done better."
On the injured players:
"The only news for tomorrow's match should be that of Theo Hernandez."
Pioli on Milan players suffering multiple muscle injuries:
"There has never been such a dense championship. Muscle injuries increased by 20%. Unfortunately, we also had injuries in the national team. I work with important professionals, we will try to do better."
Can't anyone else play on the right wing besides Rade Krunic?
"Krunic did not play as the winger, but the right midfielder with the insertions. The solutions are there to have an unpredictable attacking thrust".
What type of Juventus team do you expect for tomorrow?
"I don't know if they will play more close down. The important thing is that we are compact and do not make simple things wrong."
On facing coach Massimiliano Allegri:
"He is a capable coach who trains a strong team. Then every game is different. So far against him, it has been closed games, but in each game there can be different things. We want to approach the game well, when we do we become a team that can have its say."
Pioli on Olivier Giroud:
"I choose the formation tomorrow morning. Yesterday, those who played in London had an unloading session. Today I will decide. I think Giroud is fine, then I'll see the choices. We must not forget that we have a lot of matches in the next few days."
How did the team take the loss against Chelsea?
"We have data that tells us that our physical and technical efficiency has not been up to par. Do you think Napoli are inferior to Chelsea now? With Napoli we had fantastic data, but if you play below your level with certain teams you can lose. If we play at our level in the league you win, perhaps even if you go down a little. On Wednesday we missed out on a lot of things: Liverpool put us down last year."
Could there be any tactical changes for tomorrow?
"In each game, we change something. Tomorrow will be a different game too. Tomorrow, we will prepare some things to put Juventus in difficulty, who are conceding few goals. "
On Rafael Leao:
"If my mission with him is finished? It's not over. He must not be satisfied and I have to expect a lot. There are several things we can do better."
On the spirit of the team currently:
"We were all disappointed with our performance: it is inevitable that we expect a reaction and a determined test. It will be like this."
Ante Rebic likes to score against Juventus...
"That is very important for him and for the team; it is clear that he is not yet at 100%, but his condition is improving".
