AC Milan's head coach, Stefano Pioli, spoke to the microphones of Sky Sport Italia at the end of the match between his team and Empoli at the San Siro stadium. Here are his comments on the goalless draw:
"A result we didn't want. Regret for the first half, where we needed to be more present in the box. We played with great intensity, conceding nothing to an opponent who usually creates dangerous actions. In the second half, we did everything to win, but the ball didn't want to go in. I see a healthy team, and it's a negative result, but not a negative performance."
Did you expect more from your alternatives in the lineup tonight?
"Goals are expected from the attackers, but we created the chances. The higher fullbacks gave us more width, and we could fill the box better. The team played well, but it's clear that if the victory doesn't come, something was missing."
On Charles De Ketelaere:
"De Ketelaere works as hard and as much as his teammates in training. You all said that Bennacer was a trequartista in Napoli, finally, the three midfielders...Choices are made. We have many players in the attacking phase, he trains well, and he's a mature boy who knows he can overcome difficulties."
On AC Milan being different, Pioli said:
"It's been a while since we played with this energy and compactness. I'm sorry because we're Milan, and we wanted to win tonight too. But as the coach of my team, who I know well, we're returning to our levels, then we can do better. We have to try to improve our game, and it's improving."
Pioli on if he will be able to come up with a strategy to face Napoli in the Champions League:
"I haven't done anything genius, I put a team on the pitch that played an excellent game (vs Napoli). We took advantage of something in Napoli, that we needed it more than they did. On Wednesday, we'll both have great motivations. I expect a strong Napoli like last Sunday. Then games change, we scored at the first real opportunity. We're strong in space, but today, Empoli were all closed. We needed it more than they did, but I expect a different game on Wednesday."
Pioli added:
"There are many things we can do better, situations change, and we can change something because Napoli also created difficulties for us, they made positions that created problems for us. We'll be compact and careful, the game is of such importance. When we play the Champions League at San Siro, it's exciting, and we'll face the match with confidence. In the Champions League round of 16, only Napoli, Benfica, and Bayern are leading in their leagues. Napoli is a great team. We missed something in the league."
