Pioli explains Pulisic's central positioning: "He doesn't need a lot of advice"

Ahead of AC Milan’s clash against Lecce, Stefano Pioli has offered insight into the choice to move Pulisic into a central position following Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s suspension.

Milan will be expected to continue their recent run of form against Lecce, ensuring they go into their midweek game against AS Roma full of confidence. Given the magnitude of this Thursday’s clash, some may have expected the 58-year-old to alter his lineup slightly, offering some key players a chance to rest. However, this has not been taken, with Pioli naming a near full-strength side.

There have been some changes, though. Loftus-Cheek is suspended, and Christian Pulisic has been moved into the middle in his place. Malick Thiaw misses the game due to injury, so Matteo Gabbia has taken his place. Furthermore, Yacine Adli replaces Ismael Bennacer, who has been recovering this week. Finally, Theo Hernandez comes back into the side following his suspension.

Following the warm-up, Pioli spoke to DAZN at San Siro, and his words have been transcribed by MilanNews.

Lecce are in good shape…

“They’re still fighting for salvation. They haven’t conceded a goal yet with Gotti, we expect an organised Lecce side. It will be up to us to try to put in a high-level performance.”

Team selections…

“It doesn’t change much, we have played many times with the Trequartista. Instead of being Loftus-Cheek, it will be Christian [Pulisic]. He doesn’t need a lot of advice, he can move very well. I expect him to attack the depth a bit more than what Loftus-Cheek normally does. The important thing is to be aggressive, balanced and try to control the game.”

Is it a fact for you coaches to know each other a little bit?

“Yes, it can be a factor. Gotti when I met him with Udinese played in a completely different way, unless today he overturns everything he did in the previous two games. We are prepared, we imagined they wouldn’t play with the two strikers, we will have to be very good at finding countermeasures immediately.”