Stefano Pioli has reiterated that he has ‘respect and trust’ in his team after they pulled out an excellent second half response to beat Hellas Verona 3-2.
After being 2-0 down at the break, Olivier Giroud’s header with just over 30 minutes left halved the deficit, and then an equaliser came from a penalty of Milan’s own before the winner came via an own-goal from Gunther.
Pioli spoke to the microphones of Milan TV after the game and reflected on a dramatic night at San Siro, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews.
“Great merit of the guys who played the second half with great quality but also great merit to the fans who supported us with great strength,” he said.
“At the beginning we tried to play with four offensive players close but we didn’t always succeed. We weren’t fast with the ball while in the second half we entered Castillejo and Leao and we grew in intensity. Scoring helps and we played a second half from Milan with a great mental attitude.”
On the changes he made: “Castillejo proved to be a great professional. He suffered a lot from my choices but he never lacked intensity and professionalism in training. I’m proud of his reaction and his performance. He was good at seizing his chance and if he continues he will have others. I have a great team at my disposal and the club was good at making it available to me.
“I have a lot of respect and trust in the team. I know when they can give more and I know we can grow further. Verona are the team that scored the most goals in the opening 15 minutes and we had to be more careful.
“I try to stay positive and we have had many injuries. It was not easy to prepare for the match but we have to be strong. For the players who will go to the national team it will be a tiring season because they have no chance to have a break. If we want to achieve a great result, we will have to make an exceptional effort.”
