In view of tomorrow's fixture which sees AC Milan hosting AS Roma at the San Siro, head coach Stefano Pioli spoke to the media in a press conference to present the game.
Here are his words first about Gianluca Vialli, former player of Juventus and Chelsea and former assistant of Roberto Mancini at the Italy national team, who passed away yesterday
"We faced each other many times in U-21. I marked him often. 2023 didn't start well, we are losing a champion of sport and life for all the values he has always transmitted. A generous, correct, tenacious, coherent person. A strong sadness, my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."
AC Milan tomorrow take on AS Roma at the San Siro...
"A strong, well-structured, complete team. It combines good play construction with physicality. A team that beat Inter and that we will respect a lot. Then there's us with all our will. We'll play with enthusiasm and energy."
Pioli on Charles De Ketelaere's condition:
"Tomorrow, we will be the same as in Salerno, I hope to recover some in view of the Coppa Italia match. Charles is fine, ready from a physical and mental point of view. I rely heavily on him."
On not being able to 'kill' games:
"We can do better, we know how important it is to unblock games, we are among the teams that score the most at the start of the match, I still think it is important to continue creating many goal chances. For the quality of my players, we have to score a few more goals."
Pioli discussed the need to rely on Olivier Giroud and work him 'overtime':
"He's doing very well mentally and physically. In the immediate future, I don't see any difficulties. The next 8 weeks will be demanding, there will be a need for ready players and I'm seeing positive attitudes from my players. We'll face the next stages with concentration but always with attention to the next one, we want to be competitive in all the competitions that await us."
Can you reach Napoli in the standings?
"I don't think that much can be changed in one match, we're not there to count the points behind Napoli. To try and win back the Scudetto we have to score many points. We must improve our level. Milan was a great opportunity for me I'll make the most of it as long as I can."
Any update on Mike Maignan's recovery and return date?
"We don't have timelines, we're going with the assessments that the staff are making. I can't say today if he will be back in 2 to 3 or 4 or 5 weeks. Mike has all our support and is very eager, but he knows that we have to respect certain timing because the muscle doesn't respond as it should."
On the new Milan signing Devis Vasquez:
"I spoke to him this morning. Nice presence, nice personality. He hasn't trained for 5 days on the road, today he only did a small part. We'll see in the next few days and then we'll see what his condition will be like in the next matches and what will my choices be."
On the possibility of deploying Aster Vranckx from the start in the future:
"The possibility is there in every single game. We resume after the break, I think giving continuity is the right choice. He and Thiaw are two guys with quality and availability, with particular characteristics and they are ready to play."
Regarding the right flank, Pioli said this:
"Davide is a very strong player and I've never had any doubts. Intelligent and clean player in the game, we can get out of the pressing better, he gives us more solutions.
On Rafael Leao's renewal:
"It's a very hot period because he has to keep playing well (laughs). For renewal, you don't have to ask me, but instead other people. We don't talk about the contract with the boy, we talk about the pitch, we talk about tomorrow's match. He knows he has to continue like this, he has the ability to be decisive in all matches."
On AS Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo and Paulo Dybala:
"Zaniolo has enormous potential... Unfortunately, he had some injuries that slowed down his growth. He has certain depth characteristics, Dybala has characteristics between the lines. Roma is a complete trident."
Pioli on what Leao is lacking to become a champion:
"Playing all the matches as he played in Salerno. He played an intense, complete match, with quality and an attitude that allowed him to stay in the match for all 95 minutes, with the ball and without the ball. I think he understood that he needs to be decisive and what he needs to be so continuously."
On Simon Kjaer and Sandro Tonali:
"Sandro is making enormous strides forward, he has become very complete and strong. He knows how to do everything, he knows how to build, he knows how to interdict, he goes to attack, he knows how to insert himself with intelligence and pace. He is becoming very strong and will continue to grow, this is his will. Only many compliments for him, but always looking for something to grow even more. Kjaer had a world championship with some problems but not with a specific injury, but his condition is improving. I think he can come back with us soon."
Thoughts on the Qatar World Cup? Did you see anything interesting?
"Honestly no, it was very decided by the individuals. Almost all the coaches, due to the timing, had very little time to prepare for it."
Pioli on Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer and if he feels envied for having them:
"I don't feel envied, I feel lucky to be able to coach these players. They complement each other well, both are getting to know each other more and more, they are expanding their skill repertoire. It is important to have faith in your partner and know his characteristics in such a decisive area. I am lucky to coach such strong players."
What is your idea for perfection?
"If you want to be happy, don't look for perfection. But let's try to improve to be as perfect as possible. In football, having a perfect team is impossible, but it's clear that those who make the least mistakes have a better chance of winning. We try to improve our level and I see in my players a single and collective motivation in trying to achieve these improvements."
On the San Siro atmosphere and the fans:
"It cannot be quantified, but they give us so much energy and we want to take it all. We want to take advantage of this very positive factor."
Pioli on the attacking department of the AS Roma team vs Bologna:
"He used this type of characteristics. The more we try to limit the balls for these players, the more chances we have of success. We will try to be compact and aggressive, paying attention to the positions occupied."
On AC Milan's performance against Salernitana:
"We were an intelligent team in understanding the situations to develop and the spaces to attack. Each match presents different difficulties, an evolved team from a football point of view knows what spaces there are and how to take advantage of them Tomorrow we will have to be good at understanding if there will be the same situations or if there will be other things to do. We will have to do it with attention, quality and intensity."
