AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli says that the team are eager to show that the defeat against Chelsea last Wednesday was a mere ‘blip’ and not the norm.
The game at Stamford Bridge saw Milan give an account of themselves that was far from a true performance as they were outclassed in virtually every department, although a number of injury problems certainly did not help as Chelsea ran out 3-0 winners.
The beauty of the Champions League is that a chance to put things right against the same opponent is never far away, and tomorrow in front of around 75,000 fans at a packed San Siro there will be another chance for the Rossoneri to take a step towards the knockout stages.
Pioli’s press conference took place today on the eve of the game against Chelsea, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews and translated below.
Is there a ‘San Siro factor’?
“It’s fantastic to play in front of our fans. They give us great support. They are one more weapon for us.”
How much desire for revenge is there after the first leg?
“We have to show that that was just a blip and not the norm. We were very disappointed with the performance in London. We have to learn from our mistakes and make less.”
How is De Ketelaere?
“He had a strain and certainly will not be there tomorrow. It is unlikely that he will be there on Sunday. Messias returns who will be called up.”
How’s the team doing?
“Milan must not live between doubts and worries, but must play at their level. We need a high-level match against a strong team. We must not be worried, tomorrow is another match and we must try to play at our level.”
Who among the opponents in the group worries you the most?
“It’s a balanced table. We don’t have to look at it, but just think about getting results tomorrow. We don’t have to waste energy, tomorrow we will need a lot.”
How important is tomorrow’s game?
“Tomorrow’s game is worth a lot for the value of the opponent and for our growth path.”
You have been with Milan for three years, did you expect to be at this point? What kind of a journey was it?
“It is a path in which I have concentrated day after day. To work well on the present to better face the future. My goal in these three years has been to improve every day together with the club and the players.”
How do you prepare for tomorrow’s game in such a short time?
“It’s quite simple, I had the London match to examine and I did it yesterday morning: based on the positions in London we evaluated if there was actually something to change. Is there something to change? Ehhh… (laughs).”
How is Dest growing? Could his path be similar to Dalot’s?
“I don’t know if it’s comparable, but I think it’s a necessary path. He comes from a different game than ours, it takes some time to adapt, but I really believe in his qualities. Soon his time will also come.”
Will we see a more wait-and-see Milan tomorrow?
“We could, but it doesn’t have ot be. It depends on the evaluations we made of previous matches. I have my ideas, tomorrow we will field something different.”
It better be something different Mr be the first leg was one of the most embarrassing match I have watch Milan play. Even when we lost to Liverpool inside Anfield it wasn’t this agonizing. Sometimes you just need to review ur strategy and tinker on ur preferred formation to neutralize the or suit in countering the opposing team.
I wish you guys all the luck.
Forza Milan 💪💪💪
I can’t be happier seeing CDK out of the match totally. Such a bad signing. I knew he would struggle at first but no glimpse of what was projected of him. Or are the players around him not good enough? Diaz till Jan please
Really??? You’re a moron. You’re mistaking real football for PlayStation
In every game CDK has played for Milan he created at least 1 clear goal scoring chance. If his teammates knew how to finish, he’d have a handful of assists right now.
I think we should play rebic because we need some pace and giroud is not so fast imo
Agreed, Rosso. I said the same after the first match, we need a more mobile attack and more pace. Also, Silva is 38, he can’t keep up with Rebic like he did with Giroud. Diaz, Leão and Rebic are a much better fit against a team like Chelsea than CDK, Giroud and Leão. I trust CDK will grow into a more dynamic player, but he’s not there yet – and we really need that dynamism tomorrow. Theo being back will obviously also help a lot with that.
Do we play 433 any or 4231 against Chelsea?