AC Milan’s leaders have come under scrutiny in recent weeks as the team’s form dipped, but against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night Stefano Pioli received an encouraging response.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall that Mike Maignan had not spoken in a press conference since 21 July 2021 which was the afternoon of the his official presentation as a new Milan signing, but he spoke next to Pioli on the eve of the game.
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This was not a choice based on his nationality or the fact he played at PSG, but rather due to the precise will of the player, who wanted to answer questions.
Theo Hernandez also likes to talk more on the pitch than off it but the other evening he did both: the cross with which he found Giroud’s head to give Milan the lead and then some jokes into the microphones after the game.
The work with Pioli at Milanello, with the group united and far from the stresses of the outside world, restored good play and spirit to the team. This is what Maignan had predicted 24 hours before the match and what Hernandez reiterated after the match.
Both spontaneously presented themselves to the cameras to declare their closeness, and that of their team-mates, to the coach in such a delicate moment.
After the victory, Pioli and CEO Giorgio Furlani met in the tunnel leading to the changing rooms. Pioli was going out to enjoy some relaxation before the interviews and after a moment on the field in which he shrugged off the attempted hugs from his staff, which we revealed the reason for.
Then there were hugs in the changing rooms, even tighter than usual, to his entire group, including a special one to his son Gianmarco who shortly afterwards would become a grandfather for the third time with Ginevra’s arrival in the family.
Tuesday night’s victory begins in Monday’s technical meeting. Not the day after the defeat against Udinese, when disappointment was still dominant and the team at Milanello was divided between those who worked in the gym and those who ran on the pitch.
It was in the last real face-to-face discussion, the one on the eve of the match, that Milan got back on their feet: the team united around a concept that was easy in theory, but which must finally be put back into practice. And that is: “We all have to give something more, the best of ourselves.”
Everyone in the same way, and Pioli a little more as the person in charge, had been struck by the negative reaction following the defeat against Udinese and they responded in the best way.
