AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has spoken in the press conference today ahead of the clash with Lazio in Serie A. Here are his statements:
On whether Milan deserve to finish in the top four:
"Definitely yes, these 32 games have told us that we have been stronger than everyone except Inter. We were the only ones to stand up to the Nerazzurri for a long time. We can play the last few fixtures with all our ambitions and our goal still there to be achieved.. We must continue, we are not here by luck but because we deserved it. Now we must deserve it until the end".
On whether Lazio-Milan is a playoff game:
"Yes, because the direct clashes from here to the end - we have three - are worth double. Lazio are behind in the score, both for us and for them will be an important match for the future. The step forward would be important."
On whether Mandzukic can play from the start:
"Ibrahimovic is better but he won't be there tomorrow, he should be at the next match with Benevento. Mandzukic and Leao are playing for their place in the center of the attack. Mario is better and has the right characteristics to give us the right contribution in the opposing area."
Wouldn't reaching the Champions League be a failure?
"We cannot think like this, we must not think in this direction. We have shown that we are strong, but we must do it until the end. I have always maintained that seven teams would be fighting for the Champions League, the four that will arrive will be satisfied, the others they will be disappointed. "
On Lazio:
"A strong team, they have an attacking department with technical, physical and fast players. Lazio made the Champions League this year, we have already beaten them, but they have always been balanced matches. We have the skills and determination to play a great game. ".
On the recipe used to restart after the defeat against Sassuolo:
"I train a group that is too intelligent to use anything in particular at this moment of the season. We know how crucial the next matches are. We talked little about the match against Sassuolo, we immediately focused on the next one. If we played that match one hundred more times, ninety-nine times we wouldn't lose it. The group is motivated and intelligent, tomorrow is very important, we prepared the game with attention and concentration. "
There is talk of the threshold to be reached for the Champions goal:
"I thought that from 75 points upwards you could get to the Champions League, but we never did the tables. There could be teams capable of playing in a row. Right now it is good to concentrate on every single match to try to get the most out of it." .
What is the "sin" that Milan must avoid between now and the end of the championship?
"Fear, if you face it, run away. If you run away, fear runs after you. Our motto is" if you want, you can ", the other things are excuses. We want and we will do our best to achieve this great goal".
On the condition of Theo Hernandez:
"Theo is better, yesterday he did a part of training with the team. He could be available for tomorrow if he does a whole session with the group today."
On the goal that has been missed in the last few games:
"I think this is the central point in our playing and our difficulties in the last few games. We often get to create scoring chances, but we don't make the right choice of passing, shooting or dribbling. We are working on it, we have to be more dangerous for the amount of play we build ".
On whether Romagnoli can play against Lazio from the start:
"He is certainly better, the fact of working continuously with the team has allowed him to improve his condition. Tomori had a small problem yesterday, let's see. There is time to decide on the formation."
On the strength and continuity of the rivals in the Champions race:
"Our direct rivals are all strong opponents, but if so far we have been able to be better than them it means that we have values. We too can make five to six wins. The team is eager to try to do well right away, and react to a bad defeat, not deserved, because we played good football on Wednesday too. But now only tomorrow and our championship final counts.
On Ibrahimovic's help:
"Ibra has raised the level of intensity in training, of quality and personality, his charisma has helped everyone to grow. His teammates have been good at following this path and in having a growth with great constancy and will. We have all grown up, and we have become a top-level team. Everyone has given their contribution. "
Are Milan doing well from a physical point of view?
"The physical fatigue is not there, we have to be more effective in the last quarter of the pitch. I think we miss this, and it is not a small thing: it makes the difference between winning games and risking not winning them. improve, but it was difficult to think that we could maintain that pace of results throughout the season, we must be objective and lucid in saying that there was a moment in which we took home everything and even more than we could collect. In the last few games, however, we got less than we deserved. What matters is that we are there and that we have demonstrated our values, we have six games to achieve an important goal."
On Leao's growth:
"The Leao project goes on regardless of the role. He continues his growth and maturation, as is normal for a player so young and with little experience in such a difficult league. Then it is difficult to establish what the role will be. Rafael's final. The growth of a player allows you to find a job and a position. The important thing is the growth of his qualities and his value, then we will evaluate the position along the way".
On whether Pioli is optimistic:
"We have passed many crash tests on this path. I believe that even in Wednesday's performance, even in the defeat a coach sees positive situations. We have been a team for all ninety minutes. My players are strong, even morally. something more, we have many qualities and we will try to bring them out".
On the challenge with Sassuolo again:
"We want to be aggressive and tall, but it depends on the opponent. Sassuolo is a team that loves dribbling. From a tactical point of view it was an evolved game that will give us ideas for further growth."
In the previous match we saw a Milan with 4-4-2:
"When we had the ball it was a 4-2-2-2, without the ball we played with the 4-4-2. We prepare every single match to enhance our qualities and put the opponents in difficulty, so the positions on the pitch change. Our players know the spaces and this is important.