AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli seemed in a very deflated mood after his side were beaten for the fourth time by Inter in 2023, this time on the biggest stage yet.
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It was always going to be tough for Milan to get themselves out of the hole that they dug in the first 11 minutes of the first leg, when goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan gave Inter supremacy that they never squandered.
The second leg was just as difficult for the Rossoneri as it allowed Simone Inzaghi’s side to manage the game and sit deep to frustrate, which they did successfully before killing to tie off at the other end in the second half with Lautaro Martinez’s strike.
Pioli spoke to Sky after the game to reflect on another disappointing night for his team and a fourth derby defeat in a row without scoring, and his comments were relayed by MilanNews.
“It’s not fair to talk about the desire of the players, Inter deserved it but talking about the desire for players doesn’t seem right to me,” he said.
What was missing?
“The first 15 minutes of the first leg which then affected tonight’s match as well. I think we had a good first half where we created 2-3 chances, we could have changed the momentum of the game. Sadly we got here with great merit, we hoped to go to the final.”
Are you the most disappointed manager in the world?
“Yes, inevitably that is the case. For our path it would have been something exceptional to reach the final, even if it always counts who wins. Not succeeding is a big disappointment. More complicated season than we thought, a season that taught us so much.”
What was Sandro Tonali’s role tonight?
“Tonali changed position in the first leg, because in the first leg we built with two midfielders and therefore we were not very dangerous.
“Today Tonali was more of a midfielder with the ball because we wanted to bring more players into the area, more players to find numerical parity against their five. It was something I wanted”.
Reaching the semi-final is still an extraordinary achievement, correct?
“If one is objective enough and sees the path of this team and this group which was the youngest group to win the Scudetto, it is difficult to speak of a negative path. This year we have tried to be competitive in two very important and difficult competitions.
“We had a great Champions League campaign. Going out in the semi-final and in a derby is normal to be disappointed. We lacked something this year, in the league we weren’t able to have the pace we could have.
“The regrets are for the league season, even if there are three games left and after the game I tried to lift my players’ morale by saying that we have to finish well because we can’t finish the season with negativity.
“I’m sure, at least for my part, that this complicated season has taught us a lot and we will be able to start again with even more certainty because the team’s base is an excellent basis on which to work.”
