AC Milan's head coach, Stefano Pioli, has spoken to the media in a press conferene today. Here are his words in view of tomorrow's clash against Napoli in Serie A:
"Leao returning earlier to Milanello? It is clear that there was the last break before these last two months, they will be the decisive two months. They are partial verdicts and judgments. In these two months we can still do a lot."
How does Milan arrive to Naples compared to one year ago?
"During the break I told the boys that nothing has changed. A year ago nobody bet on us, now few believe in us, few believe that we can get past the quarter-finals, that we can reach the top four. It's a season that it can even become glorious, but also a little bit negative. What happened last year doesn't count anymore, we have to focus on the last 10 in the league and the 5 in the Champions League."
Pioli on the idea of returning to a 4-man defence:
"There's that possibility, even though we've never switched from a 3-man to a 4-man defense. We've tried both approaches, and if we play like Milan, we can win. If we don't play like Milan, we run the risk of losing."
Are you capable of replicating a performance similar to the one in the first leg?
"It was one of the few games in which we didn't choose to go on the offensive immediately, but rather waited a bit. There will be difficulties; we're facing a high-level team, but I believe in my team a lot. My players know that they have to push themselves to the limit and go beyond their limits."
On Napoli without Victor Osimhen:
"It's clear that he's a very strong player, but Napoli has won seven consecutive matches without him. My choices won't be influenced by his presence or absence."
Pioli, why is there so much skepticism about Milan? Will you still rely on the Scudetto-winning players, who know how to win?
"I believe that I coach a very responsible and cohesive group that knows how to work in a certain way and isn't overly influenced by what's said outside. We know that we have a very important end to the season. We know that we've done much better in the Champions League and much worse in the league, but we can make up for it. For tomorrow's choices, I'll select the players that allow me to play the best game, counting on the fact that even the substitutes can make a difference in such a delicate match."
What does Napoli have that Milan doesn't
"Much more consistency in their results in the league, we haven't been as consistent. We haven't been up to our standards in the last two months. I don't think we deserved to lose in the first leg, but tomorrow is a different game. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, the Champions League is a whole different story. Other factors come into play that are not influenced by tomorrow's game."
Pioli on the international break:
"I would have liked to play the day after Udine. We managed the break in the best possible way, unfortunately the national teams gave us two important injuries like those of Pierre (Kalulu) and Zlatan (Ibrahimovic)."
Are you still convinced that Rafael Leao's best position is on the wing?
"Yes, it will be the same tomorrow. Leao is the only Milan player who can go wherever he wants, as long as he doesn't go under the ball. I don't like it when he is under the ball."
Is the team ready to move forward on its own without Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
"You know I'm the biggest fan and believer in Zlatan, but it's too simplistic to say that he's the only reason for the team's growth. The team has shown that they can play even without Zlatan. It was extremely difficult to win last year, and we're realising that it's even harder to defend our title."
On Aster Vranckx, Pioli said:
"It applies to everyone: he's growing, he's certainly a strong young man. Then I have to make choices. There are many of us in the middle of the field, he's a player who is doing well in all training sessions as are his teammates. The players who don't play it's not enough that they do well, they have to do better to convince the manager to change the formation because the manager wants to win games. I make formation to win games. Aster is doing everything to change my mind as well as many of his other companions are doing everything."
How did you see the returning players?
"They did well, everyone has been training with the team since Thursday. It's a shame for Zlatan because he was starting to feel better, and it's a shame for Pierre because he was doing very well. The others are all in good condition."
How do you prepare these players mentally?
"With the players who stayed for two weeks, we did a certain type of work, even in personalised work sessions. When the others go to the national team, it's to be hoped that they will play, because training isn't very important. Those who played came back well I think the team is fine from a physical energy point of view."
Playing mirror-image with Napoli, could it be decisive to create superiority in midfield by dropping the attacking midfielder back and pushing the full-backs up?
"It's a good suggestion. I don't think we'll play mirror-image, but clearly, we'll take up different positions in the defensive phase and different positions in the build-up phase to try to find advantages in both phases."
