AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli was delighted with the battling spirit his side showed as they beat Spezia 3-0 to continue their perfect start.
The Rossoneri didn’t have it all their own way at San Siro on Sunday night as they were unable to break down the visiting side for the opening 45 minutes, but Rafael Leao broke the deadlock and Theo Hernandez put the game beyond doubt before the former added a third.
The win means Milan have started the season with three wins from three and three clean sheets in Serie A, plus six wins from six in all competitions when factoring in the Europa League qualifiers.
Pioli spoke to Sky Italia after the game, and his comments were transcribed by MilanNews.
“It’s a team, we have certain characteristics, we have a way of playing on the pitch, then we know very well that there are many expectations, it’s normal, for the results we are achieving and the badge,” he said.
“We will soon have difficult and demanding matches but we we will arrive with the right enthusiasm. In this period we have done without many players, I have forced a lot of them to play all the time. I hope to recover the injured players, then we will play with each other game by game to continue to improve.
“I like this team, this club, we are good together, we are a very young group, they have to work hard and well, they have to try to improve. We know very well the difficulties we will encounter, in Italy there are seven very strong teams, and at the end of the year only the top four will be happy, we must do everything we can for the best positions.”
On the injured players, he added: “For Rebic it will be important next week, he still has some pain in his elbow. Romagnoli could be available for the derby, for Musacchio it will take a little longer. For Ibra and Duarte it is not up to us.”
Before the game, sporting director Ricky Massara refused to rule out the possibility of signing Schalke’s Ozan Kabak or Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, and Pioli was also asked about the duo.
“I am satisfied with tonight’s match. It is true that we are looking for a central defender because we have many injuries and a demanding schedule. it’s a good start, it must give us positivity and confidence for the future.”
On Kessie: “Franck is very sensitive, we had some friction at the beginning, there were discussions, then we understood each other, we spoke to each other. When you can understand how to relate I think you can get the most out of these players who are. strong.”
On the Juve-Napoli situation: “I’m a little worried, but there are professionals who are trying to make everything work. There are rules to respect and we are respecting them. We are privileged, we are buffered every 2/3 days, we are calm. We want to play, possibly in front of the fans, we hope it will happen as soon as possible.”