AC Milan's boss, Stefano Pioli, granted his first interview after the renewal with the Rossoneri club, linking him to the San Siro until at least 2025. Here are his first words:
"Signing the renewal is always exciting and it is the situation I wanted. I thank the owners and the technical area, also for the timing of this signing and this gives me even more energy in what I do."
On the AC Milan fans:
"When we enter San Siro, but also away, they give us an energy and a support that we feel. We must give them satisfaction, because they help us so much especially in delicate moments when we suffer. It is there that even the players manage to get their last energies."
On winning with AC Milan, Pioli said:
"I've always been very positive. I like to believe in what I do and when I joined Milanello, I felt the right energy, talent and sharing to build something important. And when you coach Milan, you have to aim to always do your best and win something."
On the staff:
"I have an important staff in terms of skills and passion, as well as in terms of numbers. They support me and put up with me because I am very demanding, with myself and with them. I thank them for the work they do, which is always done to the maximum and with great seriousness."
What has Milan become for Pioli?
"It is something that got into me. It's that feeling that I go to the pitch and that we go to San Siro: great emotion and great responsibility, but always accompanied by great energy. I am happy to coach Milan and to be with our fans. This makes me always give my best to achieve the best possible results."
The best match for Milan?
"We have played many games. But, the most beautiful is that of Sassuolo, because nothing was taken for granted and easy. We knew we had to win every match to win the Scudetto and facing it with that strength and personality was important."
On the growth margins of the team:
"We can grow a lot because we are getting used to playing challenging games with a lot of continuity. To do this, you need a great mentality and professionalism. We must aim to have continuity, because this is the only way you can win the championship. In the Champions League, on the other hand, it also depends on how you get to the matches and it also takes a bit of luck. To win in the championship you have to be as continuous as possible."
On the timing of the renewal:
"“It was great news and this gives me more energy. I am proud of what we are doing together. Our path still has goals to achieve."
On the ambitions, Pioli said:
"Ours is a path that must be in full development. We have to be ambitious. We know how good it is to win and how much it costs to win in terms of work, dedication and sacrifice. We want to be competitive and we work every day to be competitive. We have to be almost obsessed with being ambitious and winning every single game. Only in this way can we remain at the highest levels."
On Paolo Maldini's first call:
"I was in talks with two other Serie A clubs (Sampdoria and Genoa, as per Milannews), When Paolo's call came, I immediately came to Milan. He is an intelligent, serious person with Milan in his DNA. When he speaks he always says things that are very intelligent, useful and relevant to the work I do. It took him little to convince me, maybe it was more I who had to convince him. We talk a lot with Paolo and Ricky, we talk about everything and we have a respectful and useful comparison. Sometimes there are different opinions, but it is from the comparison that one can have constructive ideas."
Pioli on the predisposition to play well:
"We like how we want to interpret the games. I think we can grow in controlling the games, dominating them more by playing as much time as possible in the opposing half of the pitch and we will soon get these results."
Do you feel changed since your arrival to Milan:
"Yes, there have been three seasons made up of many different situations that have allowed me to deepen my knowledge of the players, of the working method, of new positions. I feel different, better, but with the same passion. three years ago."
On certain moments in his three years at AC Milan:
"There are two situations that had an impact on the victory of the Scudetto: the comeback derby and Tonali's goal for Lazio. There, at the end of the game, we told ourselves that we had to win it because we were strong."
Will you make another tattoo linked to another AC Milan success?
"Absolutely, yes", declared Pioli.
He concluded:
"I don't want to be trivial, but I thank my father because he gave me great teachings. He was an honest and generous person and I know he would be very proud of what I am doing."
