AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli believes that there is still only a 50% chance his side made the Champions League semi-finals despite a first leg win against Napoli last night.
It was never going to be quite as straightforward as the 4-0 win against Napoli at the Maradona that happened 10 days prior, however Milan did take advantage of the fact the opposition played without a recognised striker to keep another clean sheet.
There were plenty of scares along the way though as Mike Maignan made big saves to deny Elmas and Di Lorenzo in particular, while the away side continued to apply pressure even though they went down to 10 men in the second half.
Pioli spoke at his post-match press conference after the victory against the Neapolitans to reflect on the performance his side put in and the result obtained, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
Are the percentages still 50/50 in terms of who goes through?
“Yes, qualification is yet to be earned and it will be a balanced match like tonight.”
Do you have regrets that Milan did not take advantage of being a man up?
“Yes, it’s the only regret of the match. Maybe we sat down for a bit, too bad. Now we’ll need another top-level performance.”
What do you expect in Naples?
“We’re halfway up the hill and the final bends are difficult to overcome. Napoli remain dangerous but we haven’t conceded a single goal in the last few Champions League matches.
“We expect a strong Napoli, we’ll put everything we have on the field. Such an important goal that we won’t miss the approach, the determination. No one thinks we’re through.”
What did you think of Calabria’s performance?
“A true captain, a great man. He proved it even when my choices went against him.”
Were there many battles within the battle?
“It’s easier to see this type of game, between two strong teams, rather than a game like the league one where we won 0-4. The games change, the attitude changes, the heads of the players too. And whoever stays in the game longer has a higher chance of winning.”
Milan are a good counter-attacking side, and Napoli will have to come at them next week. I think Milan are 60-40 favourites.
Definitely agree
Where are the pioli haters??? I mean last season Scudetto and this year maybe semifinals of Champions league 🙂