AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has claimed that his side seem concentrated and motivated ahead of tomorrow night’s difficult task against Inter.
Milan have it all to do after a nightmare first leg on Wednesday night in which they conceded twice inside the opening minutes to goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in truth being lucky to get in at half-time only 2-0 down.
The second half performance was a marked improvement but it did not yield a goal, which means that the Rossoneri must recover from a two-goal first leg deficit for only the second time in their history if they are to reach the final in Istanbul.
Pioli spoke alongside Sandro Tonali at the pre-match press conference at Milanello this afternoon to answer questions from reporters, with his comments relayed by MilanNews and translated below.
Looking into the eyes of your team in the last few hours, what are they telling you?
“That there is concentration and motivation, that they are preparing as best as possible to try and win tomorrow’s game.”
How is Leao? Will be be available?
“He’s better, like Krunic and Messias. If everything goes as it should, they’ll be available for final training this afternoon and will be in the game tomorrow.”
In some ways is it easier to prepare for tomorrow’s match?
“I don’t think it’s easy. I think we have a significant objective, which is to win the match and try to qualify for the Champions League final, which no one would have ever predicted, just as at the beginning of the year, no one would have predicted our presence in the semi-finals. Preparation will be the best possible. I know we can play a great game and I know how strong my players are.”
How do you prepare for a game with a two-goal deficit, and how was the week?
“I went through it with the aim of putting in a great performance. The level of the second half of the first leg won’t be enough, we have to raise the level. The match is long, we want to start it better and we have to make as few mistakes as possible and take advantage their mistakes.”
In recent derbies you have conceded at the start of the match. What do you have to do to not repeat the same mistakes?
“We have to get to second balls first, and have a different approach than the last few times.”
You have always said that these games prepare themselves. Is there a key you’ve been focusing on in the last few days?
“We only talked about the derby. These are matches we dream of experiencing. We know we have a deficit as well as we have the qualities to overturn it.”
Without Bennacer, what kind of a midfield will we see?
“I’m sorry for Isma’s injury. He will have surgery tomorrow morning. We’ll play with different characteristics, with an extra attacking midfielder compared to the first leg. Maybe it’ll go better than the first leg.”
Are there any past experiences that can inspire you?
“Those who play football know that the matches are never finished until the end. And we believe in it.”
Is it a misconception or the truth that Inter are the team that puts Milan in the most difficulty?
“Inter are a strong team that have characteristics that have put us in difficulty.”
With Calhanoglu as the regista, does he put you in more difficulty than Brozovic?
“No, I don’t think that’s the situation.”
On set ball situations, is it just a matter of height or also of concentration? Is the difference in attacking production due only to the limitations of choice?
“We’re not a very tall team, that’s a fact. We have to defend dead balls better. We had our chances, but we didn’t exploit them. We have to make the most of the chances we create. Inter will give us something and we have to exploit it.”
What do you think of Turpin being the referee and Inzaghi’s words?
“It’s a comment by him…”
In the first leg there were similar errors to other derbies and it seemed that Inter ran more. Are there tactical and mental difficulties?
“We’ve made some mistakes. They’re not the same as other times. We have to limit our mistakes as much as possible. We have to be more ready to read situations.”
Will Leao play tomorrow?
“If he completes the final training, he plays from the start.”
It’s true that inter have our number, this game is hard but not impossible. If we can stop being scared of inter and letting them always dribble through the middle then the game can be anyone’s. The defence on set pieces need to get better and the center of midfield need to get tighter.
As for a top 4 finish I don’t care what anybody says or how much I support the team. If we don’t finish in the top 4 it’s inexcusable. I understand we don’t have the greatest of depth but for serie a it should be plenty. Dropping points to all these relegation teams that’s on pioli and if that’s the reason we don’t play champions league next year then pioli must go, as a replacement a big no to Conte. Unless we’re getting a klopp, guardiola or high calibre coach like that then don’t waste time. I’d love de zerbi but that won’t happen
Molimo Boga da Juve bude kažnjen i da dobjemo 4 mjesto ! Inače smo propali u ponor dubok 3-4 godine oporavka ! Sad protiv Intera izvedi Balo Ture mesijas Gabija Origi Rebić Wranski Dest i slične ima ih ko muha !!!!!!
No we won’t if we keep playing the same way like we did on the last 3 matches against them.