In the press conference today, AC Milan's head coach Stefano Pioli has spoken ahead of his team's clash against Napoli tomorrow night in Serie A. Here are his statements:
On the photo of Rio Ave-Milan in the locker room which Tonali talked about:
"It is the spark that Milan must always have, in a season there are difficulties to overcome, they served to stimulate us, to wake us up, they made us grow. That photo there reminds us of a particular evening, it is useful to understand which steps we have overcome. to get here".
On Napoli:
"They play good football, they have quality, they are compacted. A complicated game awaits us because Napoli are one of the strongest teams in the league".
On injuries:
"The injured players are Calabria and Romagnoli, today Alessio trained with the team but he still has some problems. I am in doubt for tomorrow. I think we will recover Theo, Calha and Rebic. For Ibra, Mandzukic and Isma [Bennacer] we have to wait until next week".
On whether it is also important to choose who is mentally better off:
"The psychophysical condition during a demanding year is inevitable that it may go down for some and improve for others. Tomorrow I will try to choose who is better physically and mentally".
On Milan becoming more convincing lately:
"We relaxed only once in La Spezia, in the other games we never lacked determination. I train a group of very responsible players, a group of quality, even in the numerical difficulties I have the possibility of counting on strong players. If we play as a team and are active, if we collaborate, then we can become strong."
On whether Milan is still aiming for the Scudetto:
"We have to focus on tomorrow's challenge, the most important match is tomorrow night. We can't do the accounts, we have to think about winning as many races as possible, tomorrow we have an important opportunity against a strong opponent who has always put us in difficulty".
On how important was the intensity this season:
"We had to work a lot, the intensity is first of all mental, in the last few games we have played as a team. It is a challenging way of playing, for many boys it is the first season where it is played every three days, a decline can be there. But we were good at learning from our defeats. Intensity and quality must go hand in hand if we are to maintain these levels".
On what recipe did he use to raise Milan:
"The work and the belief in our qualities. Stumbling blocks cannot make a team forget how to play, what allowed us to be the surprise of 2020. We just had to review situations and have a much more compact team. Trust was never lacking even though outside there was talk of so much negativity, but it was not like that".
On the new postponement of Juve-Napoli:
"We hope to go forward as much as possible in the Europa League and play every three, four days, we aim to go on until the end. It is better for you to comment on what others are doing".
On whether we should expect an aggressive Milan tomorrow:
"I think there is a bit of confusion about aggression, it is the players who have to give messages to the team to give pressure. We have to play with rhythm, you play with rhythm even when you have the ball. You have to move it very quickly, make your opponents run. If we want to aim for a top championship we have to improve the home results".
On Milan moving from depending on Ibra to depending on Pioli:
"Ibra is our lighthouse but Milan are dependent on our game. There are many leaders because we recognize a certain way of being on the pitch".
On whether owners congratulated him after Thursday's match:
"The owners are always very close, they congratulate after the victories. Now, however, let's think about Napoli".
On protecting Leao:
"I always have to protect my players, especially when I see the right attitudes, sacrifice and work. Everyone has this, even Leao. Last year he lacked knowing how to stay in the game with more continuity, he has improved on this. I expect a lot from him, he is working well for the team, he must continue like this. He has to improve in recognizing game times, at times he wastes energy by sprinting when his teammates cannot serve him. The goal will come. "
On Meite:
"He has grown a lot, he came from a completely different way of playing, at the beginning he played at a slower pace than his teammates. He was very good, he made very positive performances, he played with rhythm, intensity and quality. He is fine. I'll see what choices to make. Tonali has catched his breath and I think he can play tomorrow".
On Saelemaekers and Castillejo:
"In Verona they both did a good performance, giving good solutions, they both give an excellent contribution, they can also do better. We are focused on what needs to be done rather on what we have not been able to do in the past".
On how much Kessie has changed in the past year:
"The merits are all for Franck, he had an important daily application, I don't know how he was in the past. He is mentally very strong, always ready to help his teammates, to do and say the right thing. With the qualities he has he can play anywhere, in the end I put him as an attacking midfielder, now he can do everything. He has an important presence and positivity, he is young enough to grow further. He is becoming a very important player".
On what did Gattuso's job at Milan leave him:
"He had done a great job here, then Milan went through another coach, it's hard to understand what he left and what didn't".
On putting Kessie as a playmaker at Old Trafford:
"Diaz has had a good game but he had spent a lot [of energy], we wanted to keep the Manchester defenders playing dirty. Having an imposing player who could hold up some aerial duels could do it".
On whether he is expecting an opponent similar to Verona tomorrow:
"Difficult, there are different ways of playing. They are two very different teams in their positions on the pitch, but it is true that they have physically strong defenders and fast attackers".
On how does he improve the pace on the pitch:
"Especially mentally, if you want to play with rhythm the ball must be played fast. When we weren't playing with that rhythm the ball was spinning too slow, then it is difficult to break positions. It is an important objective to move the ball and move well" .
