After the disappointing defeat against Atalanta, Stefano Pioli spoke to the club’s official channel and shared his thoughts on the performance. He also touched on the upcoming clash against Newcastle, which is decisive.
Milan came back from behind twice at Gewiss Stadium and still left the clash empty-handed. Several players did poorly, as you can see in our player ratings, and many fans are now calling for Pioli to be sacked.
Speaking to MilanTV (see video below with subtitles), Pioli shared his thoughts on the performance, which he thought was positive in many ways. He did admit, however, that Milan lacked the concentration needed to prevent the goals they conceded.
On the game…
“We were the better team in the first half, but we weren’t able to find the winning move. They were better at the start of the second half and capitalised on our distractions. We had some serious distractions inside the box, but overall the match was balanced.
“Our regret is ending the game a man down, just when it looked like we could find the winner. Obviously, we conceded three goals and a defeat slows us down in everything.”
On his mood…
“We head home with a defeat, having conceded three goals, and I would have felt very differently even if the game had ended 2-2. In the end, we lost a game in which we hoped to extend our winning run, and to build confidence. We need to do better, because we can do better.”
On the defensive mistakes and Newcastle…
“We lacked attention when we conceded, we need to cut that out or eliminate it as much as possible. However, I didn’t see a team that lacked ideas and was confused.
“I’m confident that we will prepare well for our next game and that we will do well. Newcastle will be challenging. They are a strong team, especially at home. Only one result will work for us, but I believe we will have a great desire to continue in Europe.”
