AC Milan's head coach, Stefano Pioli, spoke to the media in a press conference and said the following words:
"Atalanta? It's an important match for the standings, to get back to winning. It will be difficult, we, Atalanta, and Inter are the teams that have earned the most points. We will face a team in form."
You had said that Atalanta was more favored than you to win the Europa League...
"When you asked me that question, we still had to advance to the next round. Now we are in it just like Atalanta, Liverpool, and Bayer. Everyone wants to win the Europa League."
How is the team doing?
"I don't know yet. Yesterday we recovered, today I will understand more about the team's condition. Kalulu is fine, I will talk to him and see if he can be called up. Tomori is a bit behind but he's also fine. Calabria should also train with the group today."
How do you stop the defence from conceding too many goals?
"It's not about (the defence) being high or low, the difference is the intensity with which you press to develop the defensive phase as best as possible."
What did you think when you drew Slavia Prague instead of Bayer Leverkusen? Pioli said:
"I didn't think anything. I wasn't even worried about facing Bayer (Leverkusen) right away. It won't be easy because Slavia won the group ahead of Roma and they are competing for the league."
What kind of Atalanta will you face?
"They are doing well, but so are we. They have beaten us twice this year."
Does playing on Thursday change things for the league?
"It makes a difference, just look at the preparation for tomorrow. If you play on Thursday and Sunday, you rest on Friday and today you have the only training session. We want to be competitive in both the league and Europe. We want to do well; the upcoming month will be important."
Did you expect more from those who played against Monza?
"It's better not to talk about criticisms. I don't want to be negative. Let's focus on tomorrow."
Was Charles De Ketelaere helped by the different pressures between Milan and Atalanta?
"Gasperini is doing an incredible job, exceptional, he deserves compliments; he has had remarkable years and others less productive. I remember your looks on De Ketelaere when it was said that he had qualities and that Maldini and Massara had not taken a flop. Many in Italy need a year. Gasperini is good at finding a more offensive position for you, then every environment has its expectations and its history."
The defensive phase will be severely tested against Atalanta and Lazio...
"Atalanta is not strong only on counterattacks but has many solutions. We will have to be compact, attentive, and aggressive. We will have to try to hurt Atalanta because we have the characteristics to do so."
Were the choices against Monza because you focus more on the Europa League?
"It's not like that. I keep saying that we want to be competitive in both competitions. I don't have just eleven starters; I believe the choices against Monza were right for that match and for the players' conditions. I will always choose based on the players' condition and the game we want to play."
Why don't you ever play on Mondays?
"I was proposed to play on Monday against Monza. We preferred to have an extra day for the return leg against Rennes. They proposed to play on Monday against Empoli, but we didn't expect to play on Sunday at 3 p.m. There is a club that handles the schedules."
On Mike Maignan's current form:
"His miracles haven't ended. He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He always learns something from every situation."
What's the difference in performance between Pulisic and Chukwueze?
"They have the same characteristics. Pulisic scores goals, provides assists, and works. Chuku has to score goals, provide assists, and work."
Will Bennacer start tomorrow?
"There's still today's training session. I'll see how all the players are doing."
Pioli, what can you do more with this team?
"I have the right ingredients to ensure that the team is balanced and can win. With the exception of Monza, in the previous nine we have conceded an average of 3 fewer shots per game. We can and must do better, tomorrow we will try to do everything well".
On Matteo Gabbia and Simon Kjaer, Pioli said:
"Kjaer is a leader, he knows how to speak at the right moment. Speaking on the field is very important. His presence is certainly helping Gabbia. Matteo is doing great things with or without Simon. He applies himself and wants to be in the right place at the right time. He's doing very well."
Milan performs better at home than away...
"Our numbers show that we perform better at home, so tomorrow, being at home, we can be confident."
How to face Atalanta tomorrow?
"We must be strong in duels. Guardiola said it well: facing Atalanta is like visiting the dentist, it's annoying."
