AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has said that his team just have this one chance to qualify for the Champions League round of 16 as he talks up the importance of the match against Newcastle.
Speaking ahead of the match to Prime Video (via Milan News), Pioli did not hold back when asked about the pressure that is on the team at St. James’ Park this evening.
“It has to be, we have to think like this. The opponent here is tough, intense. We have to believe in our qualities, in our characteristics to be able to win this match because we only have this chance,” he said.
Milan need to ensure that they win in England, whilst they also need to hope that Borussia Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain in the other match as the German side have qualified.
Pioli was asked about the mental side of this challenge, to which he said: “I think it is very mental, you have to be in it in these games. We know what intensity they will bring, we know we can have difficulties. The matches are long, they change, we have to be in it until the end. In the first leg we didn’t manage to score a goal, but we managed to put them in trouble.”
The first match between the two sides at San Siro saw Milan miss a number of great chances and it ended 0-0. Had they won that game, the group stage may have panned out in a different way.
When asked if there are regrets about that game, Pioli said: “Yes, but this is not the time to talk about these situations. At the end of the game we will make assessments of our entire run in the round. We had situations that we had to use better in all the matches. I believe that only in Paris did the team lose, in quotes, deservedly against an opponent who played better than us. In the other games I think the level was high, close to our opponents, but because of many small details that can make a difference at this level we were not able to bring home more results. Now we just have to think about being more effective in the two areas, those are the situations that we paid dearly for in this Champions League.”
Asked about the dangers that Newcastle pose to Milan, Pioli said: “It’s a very vertical team, with quality players like Joelinton who inserts a lot. It’s a complete team, we have to pay attention to all defensive situations.”
On the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club: “I heard him, he’s not here with us and I don’t think he spoke to the boys about the game. He starts a new path in his career, he will do it as he has always done, with intelligence, respect and great motivation. He will be an asset for the club, for the players and for me and for everything he can give.”
Pioli: no weird subs.
Leao: no backeels.
Reijnders: no long range shots.
Calabria: no d*cking about.
Pobega: no minutes 🤞
Saw them come on in those ugly kits and i want them to lose. This isn’t Milan
Jamie on Paramount+ even said they don’t deserve to go through because of the kit!!
He’s not wrong. Whoever okayed that design should get the whole medieval dungeon treatment
Half an hour in and it’s painful to watch, we have no press, we just sit back and invite teams onto us for wave after wave of attack. If we had the pressing game of Klopp you’d understand the injuries but we don’t.
Phenomenal goal line tackle by Tomori. Horrendous miss by Leao. You have to score those on big CL nights
And we concede a goal…
If we lose tonight and Pioli is sacked, then its still a win.
Wel im with you there brother. We are light years behind the top teams tactically, we have no press, we can beat crappy teams in Italy but against anyone half decent including Juve and Inter, we are utterly clueless. This was evident against Dortmund. I don’t buy the Leao doesn’t press because he’s ready to spring into action …. Track back and win the ball back you lazy f@ck….you know like Gullit and Van Basten used to who were on a different planet to you
I have said it before the team is playing badly because Pioli’s tactics are as clear as mud.
On the other hand if we lose and the clueless owners decides to keep him as coach, I would save myself the headache and don’t watch Milan until we have another coach.
Get this bald donkey out of my club. He looks more lost than these players, and if they don’t believe in you, you’re lost. Any other manager would be able to squeeze SOMETHING out of this squad, but not this Mr. Nice Guy who has no tactical awareness whatsoever. Also, as crap as Pioli is, 90% of these players are almost as bad. We spent over 100 million and we’re still going into important matches with a 37 year-old as our main striker, no left side, two idiots (Calabria and Florenzi) as full-backs, and injury problems out the ass once again with this disaster of a medical team, and some of the ugliest football ever played by AC Milan.
Mate I think a decent coach would be top two comfortably and out of this group. I dream of a Mancini, or an Emery, let alone Carlo, Klopp or Pep. We ar literally sat here letting Newcastle who got their ars@s handed to them at the weekend run rings round us
lol good a thing my expectations was not high in this particular game is just so awful I feel for all of us Milan fans poili just need to go for now maybe he can come back in the future but for now we need our privacy with another good coach
We are getting dominated by a team which played 3 games in 7 days with the same line-up. We didn’t even manage one shot on target. We didn’t even manage two right passes. How is this even possible?
Just look at the clueless Milan-players when they get the ball. No one know what to do. No one. All the defenders put the ball out immediately and everyone keeps passing the ball sideways or backwards IF we even enter the attacking zone. The lack of ideas, tactics and self-confidence is so f*ng evident it breaks my heart. It’s like 13-year-olds vs professionals on the pitch.
And I f*ng hate that referee. He f*cked us twice before and keeps doing the same sh*t now. F*ng smug.
Ref should get the deluxe medieval dungeon treatment. Maybe a heretic fork would wisen him up
Captain America! Honestly, the way he cares and plays, he should captain Milan.
And Chuck?!