AC Milan took a big step towards winning their first league title for 11 years as they beat Atalanta 2-0 at San Siro yesterday evening to move one point away.
After a nervy first half showing, goals from Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez were enough to get past La Dea and ensure that a draw against Sassuolo in the final round of action would earn the Scudetto. Pioli spoke to Milan TV after the game, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“The skill of the team was defending well. We conceded little to a quality team. We were good at looking for different solutions. Of the last four I do not hide that I thought it was the toughest obstacle. We hadn’t won against Atalanta [at home] for a very long time and now we are close to the finish line,” he said.
On the substitutions: “We saw 3-4 situations that were repeated in the first half and we decided to look for depth. The quality of my players made the difference. We must continue with this serenity, which is one of the best things my boys have.”
On greeting the fans: “I couldn’t wait to jump and dance with the fans. We are experiencing particular emotions, there was an exaggerated passion and support. That song got inside me, we hope to be able to acknowledge our fans better.”
On the group: “I train strong players who are showing me maturity and awareness. You should see how they work and with what serenity they do it with, how they overcome the pressures that derive from the table. We have to do another week like the ones we have been experiencing in the last times.”
On the defensive phase: “The boys have always given us a lot of availability. Stage after stage, growth after growth. We were good at finding solutions, we played a strong defensive phase, against quality players. Kessié’s work was important, in the phase of non-possession he made almost the third central defender.”
On the Scudetto: “When I was asked in the press conferences what our goal was, in our minds it was very clear: to exceed the 79 points we got last year. Knowing that by improving that result, something else could happen. Another week of passion. We mustn’t make the mistake of thinking it’s over, because Sassuolo have incredible attacking players.”
Nobody doubts Kessie’s ability. It’s his deceitfulness and lack of loyalty which are disappointing. Nobody minds if a player wants to leave – but the player should be upfront, and renew their contract so that at least their current club gets a fee.
Totally agree with that. Had Kessie already told that he wanted to leave upfront instead of saying “wanted to stay forever” and “will make everything right”, we would have be more than happy and expressed our gratitude for serving us all these difficult years. But what he did was unacceptable.
Now why would the player do that exactly, in what world would that be ideal for the player. If you’re talking about the club, you should know that it’s running by people who’s sole interest is in doing business, it’s not run by maldini and masara, it’s not run by people either, it’s run by people who’s interested in business, and that’s Elliott. And How on earth would you defend Elliott! If kessie renewed then no club would guarantee the high salary that he’s demanding plus it’s common to fetch a free agent rather than buying, every club tries to exploit this option, even milan. Why is it so damn hard to fathom for you guys is still unknown. Donnarumma and kessie’s case are different, Donnarumma was a young player,he’s way of leaving was not Ideal in anyway but kessie is not getting any younger, it’s reasonable for him to opt out for the best deal for him.
I’ll defend Elliott. Even if they re more interested in business, they still made the decision to hire Pioli, Maldini, and the other. They still provide the transfer funds, albeit not the most. And the most important, they rescue us from previous management and put us in the best financial position, and on the verge of Scudetto-why won’t any Milan fans defend them?
In the modern times its impossible to find anyone that’s not interested in profit-so we should be happy with what Elliott gave us.
@AR, in terms of hiring Maldini and Pioli you’re right, but what I wanted to say is that it’s the coach and Maldini’s strategy that is to be praised, I’m sure you’ll admit that our team on paper is not top-notch, considering the other giants. About the transfer fund, well I think you forgot about the last window, we almost lost Tonali, plus there was some player I think the directors and coach wanted but never got the nod from the owners. And the issue with Hakan wasn’t clear either. So, my point is that as long as the things are going well, which evidently was not just a few matches ago, the credit totally goes to the coach and the players, but in all honesty, we need a solid depth if we want this growth to sustain, that is where my problem is with Elliot, with Elliot I don’t think Maldini will have the freedom he wants or deserves to provide us the depth we need. But I understand the fact that they are doing this to put us out of debt. But also, their motif from day one was to sell the club eventually, so not saint either.
Kessie simply didn’t want to renew but he kept saying that he wanted to stay with the club. He kept raising his demands everytime Milan matched his previous demand.
Robert, I agree with you on this one. Donnarumma situation was different than Kessie.
But your most important point is that owners/clubs take advantage of players all the time — why should players not look out for their own best interests? He is still playing very hard and helping the team and he loves this team and his teammates. We should support him until the end and hopefully he will once again be great vs Sassuolo as he has been the past few months.
Yesterday, he (along with Kalulu, Tomori and Theo) was among the very best players/performers for our team vs Atalanta.
@DB thanks, bro!! You’ve such a mature mentality!! and also yes, I’m all for supporting the man as he is important for the title. It’s been 11 years, and we should all support the team so that we can celebrate on the 22nd.