AC Milan head coach, Stefano Pioli, spoke to the media in a press conference and said these words ahead of tomorrow's Serie A fixture against Juventus away from home:
Approaching the important period of the season, he also spoke about the match against Juventus, which remains significant:
"It absolutely has to be like this, unfortunately also because of the negative results we've had in the Europa League and in the derby. The focus must be on returning to winning; these have been ten delicate days."
What's the mood in the locker room now?
"It's easy, in quotes, we can't dwell on these disappointments we've given our fans. We must, by force, have the pride and strength to remain united to win the remaining matches until the end of the season. We are professionals, we are committed to what we do. We suffer because of this situation, but we have the duty to have broad shoulders, to rise again, and then to bring our best possible performances onto the field."
What Milan will we see emotionally tomorrow?
"We must fight, we must give our all as if it were the last match. That's how we must think. We must fight for every ball, stay focused, we must overcome an opponent that is in good form, but we want to defend our second place."
Do you think the team has given everything this year?
"Yes, we have given everything, but we haven't always been able to showcase our best qualities on the field. Inter has had the strongest team in the league for four years and has only won two titles. We have never been the strongest team in the league. We have tried to fight for the top positions, sometimes we succeeded, sometimes less so. We gave everything mentally, but we haven't always managed to raise our level of play."
Is it difficult to make sense of these last five games? Pioli:
"No, why difficult? There are five games left, we have many points available, we must show who we are and that we are Milan. We want to emerge from these difficult 10 days by showcasing our best qualities on the field."
Have these been the toughest 10 days since you've been coaching Milan?
"In these almost 5 years, there have been no middle grounds. Either very positive moments or very negative ones. I can't tell you if it's the most negative, but it's the closest and therefore the most painful. If I could change the results of the derbies, I would give everything I have to change them, but it's no longer possible. I, first of all, must have broad shoulders, understand that it's part of the game and part of my job. We must show until the end who we are."
Will Leao be the captain tomorrow? How is he handling it? Pioli said:
"Yes, Leao will be the captain tomorrow. He is handling it like all his teammates and like all of us. It was a strong pain to lose the derby and see our rivals celebrate. All we can do now is react with the upcoming matches."
A rollercoaster season. Was there a lack of balance?
"Let's wait until the end of the season, then everyone will make their evaluations. There are positives and certainly negatives too."
What led to this mood, besides the last game?
"The exit from the Europa League and that month where we fell behind Inter. Inter is stronger, continues, solid, and we couldn't maintain that level, but we're not the only ones who haven't kept up with Inter."
What did Zlatan Ibrahimovic he tell you? Pioli said:
"Zlatan was here yesterday and the day before yesterday. He's always close to us. He tries to give us confidence and support to overcome a delicate moment. We win together, we rejoice together, and we are sad together. Together we try to overcome difficult times."
Is Milan, from the perspective of the men and their temperament, ready to handle the aftermath of the storm?
"It must be. This is also a test. You have to show if you want to stay at high levels, to be able to overcome the most difficult challenges. It's another growth test for this group."
The missed post-match press conference after the derby:
"I didn't choose not to hold the conference; it was a decision of the club (confirmed also by the press officer next to the coach). I have always taken responsibility and will continue to do so."
On facing Juventus:
"What matters is giving our all and being very attentive and determined because it's a very important match for the standings and for morale. We must be 100% in every situation."
What was the priority in the derby that you had anticipated?
"My choices were aimed at first being a compact team defensively, consequently based on the characteristics of the players that guaranteed me this strategy, and then also trying to have some opportunities in possession. The plan worked to a certain extent. Then when you concede a goal from a set piece, you put the opponents in ideal conditions; they know how to counterattack with great quality and with many players."
On Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor's form, Pioli said:
"Chukwueze and Okafor are doing well and are ready to play. Then it's up to me to make the choices."
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Theo Hernandez, are they the figures to start again from? Is Theo ready to be a super leader?
"These will be choices that the club will have to make. On Zlatan's charisma, on his technical and human qualities, I have no doubts. These are not things that I can decide, they are things that will be decided above me. I don't know what role Zlatan will have, but Zlatan loves Milan and wants the best for Milan. He will make the best decisions for what his tasks and ideas will be. As for Theo, he is a very strong player and he can be an important player for Milan's future."
Yacine Adli was preferred over Ismael Bennacer in the derby...:
"Ismael is not yet at 100% of his physical condition, the two games against Roma did not satisfy me completely. At the moment, Adli is very attentive in the defensive phase, I believe he is the most reliable player."
Were the red cards in the derby really necessary?
"The derby is the derby, there was a lot in the game. Of course, it would have been better to have everyone available for tomorrow, but I don't feel like reproaching anything in particular."
Inzaghi during the celebrations complimented Milan, saying it will be a very valid opponent even in the future. Is he right?
"I think it's much easier to compliment opponents when you win. If I have to tell the truth, I don't remember how many points Inter took from Napoli last year, probably a lot. So seasons then change, they reset. Of course, the level is very high, for Milan to be at that level, Milan must be very strong."
The problem of conceding too many goals continues, Pioli answered:
"Because especially in the last few games, we found opponents immediately ready and very good at exploiting our mistakes. Our opponents also made mistakes and we were not so good at exploiting them."
