Pioli says Milan must ‘continue with this compactness’ following win at Monza

By Euan Burns -

AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has said that his team must continue to be as compact as they have been in their past three victories following the win over Monza on Saturday night.

Speaking to DAZN after the match at the U-Power stadium which ended 1-0 to the Rossoneri (via Milan News), Pioli was buoyed by the fact that his team got a third clean sheet in a row with their new three-at-the-back formation.

He stressed the need for the team to keep being as defensively compact as they have been in recent weeks.

“We played a very good first half, then the pressure of Monza we had to overcome with more incisive movements from our attackers. We absolutely must continue with this compactness,” Pioli said.

“The extra step is a more precise and continuous construction, dribbling well to overcome the pressure of the opponents. Then the matches change, in the second half Monza came man-to-man, we changed positions on the pitch and we have to develop the play better.

“We will work on it, the next matches are difficult and important. Now we recover energy, having won three games by working so hard and suffering so much… Now we recover energy and we prepare in the best way for Atalanta.”

There was a better flow about the forward players against Monza as Divock Origi started with Rafael Leao and Brahim Diaz. Pioli explained that he chose forwards like that for a reason.

“I had chosen two forwards with speed, with depth to overcome their press. Sometimes we succeeded, other times not. We can definitely do better, as long as we had the physical energy we played a good game. Monza was the team with the longest unbeaten streak in Serie A. To have won is important for our growth,” Pioli explained.

Charles De Ketelaere was introduced in the second half but failed to have much of an impact. On the Belgian, Pioli said: “I think all he needs is a goal. He’s young, he’s a guy who hoped to be able to do more, a goal would mean a lot. It will come, he is getting the opportunities. The qualities are there, we just have to keep believing in ourselves.”

When pressed on whether his team is now ‘cured’, Pioli responded: “They were three very important victories, even if the Champions League one doesn’t allow us to be too serene. If we continue not to concede goals we have the quality to win. Let’s restart from here with great strength.”

 

Tags AC Milan Monza Stefano Pioli
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