AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has confirmed that Francesco Camarda could come off the bench if needed, while he affirmed his belief that his side have what it takes to get out of a tough moment.
Milan are in dire need of a win in front of their own fans on Saturday night given they have gone four games without one in Serie A, falling eight points behind the current league-leaders Inter, who play second-placed Juventus this weekend.
The Rossoneri have lost back-to-back home games in the league, both 1-0 defeats against Juve and Udinese, while on the road they threw away 2-0 leads against both Napoli and Lecce to draw 2-2.
A respond is imperative given that a crucial match against Borussia Dortmund follows then another home game against Frosinone next weekend, marking a stretch of three fixtures at San Siro in eight days.
Pioli spoke to the reporters who gathered at Milanello on the eve of the game against Fiorentina for his pre-match press conference, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
Astori started here at Milan and became the captain under you at Fiorentina…
“Tomorrow there will be an important initiative organised by the Milan Foundation and the Davide Astori Foundation. We must all be involved.”
How are you?
“Never before have words been of little use, facts are needed and we must demonstrate it tomorrow. We must demonstrate with facts that we have understood the mistakes we have made.”
How does Camarda look?
“Talent has no age. He has a lot of it. Destiny sometimes creates certain opportunities for you. We have to help him. He’s young, but already mature in character. He’s happy to be with us and is ready to lend us a hand if needed.”
How have you experienced the last few weeks on a personal level?
“I work, I have to stay focused on what we are doing. We work to grow, not to look for a culprit, but to improve. Since yesterday we have prepared for Fiorentina. I know very well what my role represents: many honours and many criticisms. I move forward with my ideas, my club and my team.”
Are you still convinced that you have a strong group at your disposal?
“There can be two behaviours: those who try to build something important and those who try to ruin everything. I belong to the first category. I remain with faith in my players, not because I have to sell something, but because for eight matches we were deservedly in the lead, then in the last four we didn’t get what we wanted and we took our responsibilities.”
Is there an emergency in attack tomorrow?
“We have to prove that we are competitive. The period is not easy, we are in a bit of an emergency, but we have to face it unitedly. Fiorentina have always put us in difficulty, we will need a high-level performance.”
Are there any regrets about your summer choices?
“The regrets are those who don’t try. The club has given me a competitive squad, now we are in an emergency due to injuries and suspensions. I’m sure that the injury numbers will improve in the future.”
Are you still fighting for the Scudetto?
“With 26 games missing, many teams may feel they are fighting for the Scudetto, but this must not be our thought: our thought must be Fiorentina. Then we will see the objective along the way. Our current objective is to return to winning ways.”
What do you expect from Fiorentina tomorrow?
“With Italiano they play attacking football, they get many players up front which perhaps allows something more in behind, but it’s always difficult to face them. Champions League clash? It’s still early.”
Who is not available tomorrow?
“The only worry I have is that in recent years we have not managed to lower the number of injuries. When someone gets hurt at Milanello we suffer. Every year we have tried to change something to improve things.
“Each player has his own story, someone got hurt because they played a lot, others because they played little. They’re not just happening to us, but our numbers are negative. We’re trying to improve things to look at the number of injuries. Tomorrow we recover Calabria, Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek.”
Didn’t you feel like calling the Swiss coach?
“I have never called them because I have great respect for their work. I believe that the calendars are not correct, it is a problem that must be addressed with a great sense of responsibility on everyone’s part. It should be diluted and less compressed: it would be good for the players and the spectacle.”
Does the spirit of the title win still exist or does it need to be rediscovered?
“The team works well, but it can do better. We were penalised for our own demerits, we haven’t lost our spirit. We don’t look at the past, I accept the criticism. We must continue to think that what we are doing can help us become competitive again.’
How is Bennacer? He has been training with you for the last few days…
“He’s fine, he hasn’t had any problems and he’s forging ahead. He’ll spend another week with us and then maybe he’ll be available again.”
Have you spoken to Jovic?
“I talk to him every day, he knows what I expect from him and he knows his role. Now he knows our way of playing. He has everything very clear to make his contribution.”
What is the mistake you shouldn’t make again?
“It’s the first time since I’ve coached Milan that the second halves are so penalising compared to the first halves. The mistake is losing attention. It’s a problem of quality which can be technical and concentration.”
