After the 1-0 win against Fiorentina, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli spoke to the media about the success. Obviously, he was pleased with the win and the Rossoneri’s performance, cementing themselves at the top.
Thanks to the win, Milan are now five points ahead of Inter who will face Udinese later this evening (18:00 CEST). The pressure is one the Nerazzurri to get the three points as well, therefore, which highlights the importance of the Rossoneri’s win.
Speaking to DAZN after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on what was a dramatic win in the end. He revealed how he felt when Rafael Leao scored the winner late in the game.
On the game…
“We played and fought against a team that created difficulties for us. We were dangerous, it was another step forward and there is satisfaction both for us and for our fantastic fans. From Tuesday we will prepare for the next match.”
How did you experience the goal?
“It was a great relief. We had several opportunities. We had the right mentality, we continued to work as a team. With matches like this, there is always a bit of tension, we fought for a very important goal. The players, despite being very young, are doing very well and are really good, they are overcoming important steps in terms of awareness, of knowing how to suffer: we are at a good stage.”
Theo’s position in the build-up phase…
“We knew that they were starting Gonzalez against Theo and we tried to surprise him with the depth of our full-back. Today we chose to keep Theo higher and Calabria lower. I like the team a lot for how they are working without the ball, they all work with great attention, intensity, and communication. We have the qualities to be dangerous and concrete.”
On the mentality built to overcome difficulties…
“I believe that ours is a perfect assembly line, which starts from the top because the club has trusted and supported our directors, the directors believe in my work, and consequently I believe in my work and in my players: we are all positive even in difficulties and we never stop believing in our qualities,
“But it’s the club first and foremost, with these spectacular directors that I have. Maldini and Massara are always close to us, they support us. We all know how things are going in football, the players feel if the directors appreciate them and the manager knows if there is trust, and this is good for everyone.
“Now there will be three very difficult games, the important thing is that we are still +5 from last year, this is our goal, to claim more points than last year and then we’ll see, one game at a time. From Tuesday we will immediately think about the next one.”
On the path together…
“We are winning the games in the final minutes, especially because the players who are playing less enter with the absolute desire to help the team until the end. In this way, we are a team and thus overcome the difficulties.”
Why should Milan win the Scudetto over the others?
“We have to prove it on the pitch. We have our qualities and we must put ourselves on the field in the best possible way: the team that wins will do so because in one way or another, they will have done something more. We aim to do our best and think about the next match.”
Milan will take on Hellas Verona in their next game, away from home, and it will be another crucial one for them. With three games left, they can afford to draw one game and win two, provided that Inter win all of theirs.
