After the draw against Cremonese, AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli spoke to the media about what went wrong for the Rossoneri this evening. Indeed, the Rossoneri lost two very important points in their top-four pursuit.
Lazio, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus all managed to win their games this round while Milan and Roma draw again. For the Rossoneri, it’s a very disappointing result especially since they created so many chances before Cremonese’s goal.
Speaking to MilanTV, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli admitted that Milan are throwing away crucial points in their Champions League pursuit. Above all, he stated that the Rossoneri lacked the composure needed to claim all three points.
On the game…
“The result is disappointing, it’s not what we wanted and what were looking for. It’s a shame because we’re throwing away situations in which we need to be more attentive. After a very good first half, in the second half, we were too disjointed and got nervous, we didn’t play as a team anymore.”
What they can improve…
“The team can improve in the final third. We reached the area many times but then we didn’t take the lead, even in other matches. After that it got complicated and we struggled more.”
How to solve it…
“I think the team played a very good game in the first half but if they can’t break the deadlock in these matches, it becomes complicated. In the second half, we lost our clarity and precision, thinking individually and we were no longer a team. This didn’t help us. It’s not true that Cremonese waited for us by sitting low. In situations near the penalty area, we lacked precision but not the positions to hurt such a closed and compact defence.”
Leao and Giroud, if they are missing you suffer…
“Giroud and Leao started against Roma, we played well then but didn’t unlock that game either. We must be more incisive, precise and determined to unlock the games.”
Are you a little tired, even mentally?
“Honestly, if we refer to tonight I saw a team with a lot of energy. Then it’s clear that the season is long for all the teams that have progressed in the Champions League, it’s up to me to manage my strength well.”
Is having this Inter in the Champions League in seven days a good thing or a bad thing?
“Now we have Lazio, then the Champions League is the Champions League. It’s obviously a good thing, how many years has it been since Milan have been in the semi-final of the Champions League? We want to move forward, we know that we will meet a great team.”
Milan will take on Lazio on Saturday afternoon and if they were to lose that game, then they can probably kiss the Champions League goodbye. The race may be tight but it’s also clear that headstarts will be incredibly hard to come back from.
