AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has admitted that he is disappointed that his side have been knocked out of the Coppa Italia, but suggested he wasn’t too unhappy with the way his team played.
After throwing away a two-goal lead against Roma over the weekend, there was the need for a response against Torino and to reach the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia for the 14th season in a row, yet 120 minutes of frustration and disappointment followed.
Milan were the better side throughout and dominated especially after Djidji was sent off for the away side, but were ultimately unable to break down their visitors and went out to a counter-attack goal in the second half of extra time.
Interviewed by Mediaset after the game, Pioli commented on the exit from the Coppa Italia as one of the targets for the season can now be crossed off, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“We played a serious, decisive and aggressive match against a difficult and serious team until we had superiority. Then we didn’t have the quality to maintain this advantage. It’s a disappointing, big disappointment because we wanted this step and we’re sorry we didn’t get it,” he said.
“We were very aggressive and risked only once. Then I made the changes to have other characteristics, but we needed more composure. There was numerical superiority and 30 minutes is a lot. We managed to concede from a counter-attack. The competitions are there, we want to be competitive and we’re sorry to be out. The league and the Supercoppa are waiting for us.”
On mistakes: “We need to be faster, Torino position themselves well off the ball and it’s easy to run into difficulties. We missed the last pass, but we were alive and in the game. The regret comes after the sending off. We gave up chance for them to pile up inside the area and they’re more physical than us.”
On De Ketelaere: “It’s important and I had him play as a first striker because Giroud returned from the World Cup and trained very little, we can’t afford to have any risk of injury. I think he moved well, then we all expect some decisive and quality plays but we didn’t succeed tonight as well.”
Where he sees decisiveness I see confusion where he sees aggression I see hubris. Pioli you appear to be loosing the plot…
Wake up Pioli. This team has no ideas offensively. No movement off the ball or good passing. They just wait for Leao or Theo to make some great run. Otherwise they are just lobbing balls into the box, and they can’t even do that well. Pioli gets the players to play hard and they press really well but they have got to get some offensive identity
Agree
Exactly. The only player in the squad (Adli) stays on the bench as the others keep passing the ball backwards instead of trying to unlock the defense. It’s pathetic to watch as no one has the ideas and/courage to try anything.
*The only player with creativity in the squad…
You are F disappointed
the only good thing I see about Milan losing last night is less games for us, leading to more rest and less injuries.
Pioli has always been tactically poor. Great man manager but lacks in everything else. Cracks are starting to show now.
Staying at the top is a very difficult thing.
Pioli has been working for so many years to get to the top, but has never worked towards staying on top. It is a totally new experience for him and he is slow to learn.
Milan will do well to relieve him of this duty as fast as possible to prevent further slips and exits.
“We need to be faster, Torino position themselves well off the ball and it’s easy to run into difficulties. ”
Watch the last 10 minutes of the normal time and you can see how every single pass to Milan player is a sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooow one and goes behind the aimed player so that he needs to take a few steps back to get the ball. How on Earth are you going to break defenses with that kind of amateurishly horrible passing?!! It was a PITA to watch.
And it wasn’t the first time that happened. It’s like every new Milan player starts well with the passing but then is quickly told that “That’s not how we pass the ball here. Our aim is to pass slow and inaccurately and that’s how you should pass the ball too!” I bet Adli is benched due to the fact that he wants to pass the ball quickly and accurately… 😛