AC Milan are back in Serie A action tomorrow night as they will make the trip to take on Empoli, with Stefano Pioli stressing the importance of a response after the Napoli loss.
Indeed, the Rossoneri will have some fire in their belly as they travel to Tuscany given that they were beaten 2-1 by the Partenopei at San Siro in the game before the international break, though the performance certainly deserved more.
Empoli won their last game against Bologna – their first victory of the season – while Milan have a number of players out at the moment including Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez, so it will not be a stroll in the park.
Pioli spoke to the reporters who gathered at Milanello on the even of the game for his pre-match press conference, with his comments relayed by MilanNews and translated below.
There will be a hectic schedule between now and the World Cup. What will this period be like?
“We will play 12 games in 44 days, but we will not have to change our mentality. I don’t like it when I feel we have to manage resources. We must always go out on the pitch and give everything.”
How are the team doing?
“The breaks are special, many have gone to their national team. In the last two days I liked the team, they are fine. Rebic will be called up, he’s fine. Origi is better, but he won’t be called up yet. The others are all available, apart from the injured players everyone already knows.”
Is Giroud amazing to you?
“For me he is normal. Giroud is a champion in everything. He is fine, he has great enthusiasm, he must continue like this.”
What kind of game are you expecting?
“They will try not to let us play. Tatarusanu knows how to play with his feet, but it will be more important to give solutions to those who have the ball. We will have to be prepared.”
How important are the absences of Theo and Maignan?
“We are a cohesive team, I have the utmost confidence in all my players. We have to be the same compact team.”
Why are you struggling more away from home?
“Winning is always our goal, at home and away. We regret not having succeeded so far away from home, I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but I think the only time we played below our level was against Sassuolo.
“We come from a defeat and therefore we want to start immediately on the right foot against an opponent we respect. We have analysed the goals conceded and our data that say that we are the ones who concede less. We need more attention and concentration, if we have conceded all these goals it is because they are missing.”
If in mid-August they had offered you the current position in Serie A and the Champions League, would you have accepted?
“No, we made a good start but not excellent. The performances were there, but performances and results must go hand in hand and we haven’t always succeeded. In the Champions League we did better, but now let’s focus on the championship: this streak will be a lot important.”
How do you see Pobega’s growth?
“He’s doing very well, he’s less of a setter and more of a forward than the other midfielders. He’s a growing player, he’s important to us.”
Some say you have no faith in Ballo-Touré…
“They are stupid, I have great faith in him. Clearly he is playing for a spot with a great player, but if he’s here it’s because I have faith in him.”
Will your choices be influenced by the Chelsea game?
“Tomorrow I will field the best team, I’m not thinking about Chelsea.”
Is it possible tomorrow to see an atypical attacking midfielder like Kessie last year?
“No, we have other characteristics and I would like to exploit them. We will not play a midfielder, but a true attacking midfielder.”
Could you change your formation tomorrow due to absences?
“We don’t have time to try other solutions. As long as I see a balanced and compact team, I won’t change. It can be done, but certainly not tomorrow.”
Are Vranckx and Adli ready to play?
“We have followed all our players in the national team, especially the new ones to get to know them even more. They are ready, they are players with potential, they are playing for their place with other great players.”
What do you expect from De Ketelaere?
“I expect everything he did against Napoli, he was very present in the attacking phase. He is growing, he will become a champion.”
How have Krunic and Bennacer changed since they were at Empoli?
“The growth process of both of us was that of all of us. They maintained the same humility.”
There are several interesting players at Empoli…
“The transfer market is in January. Tomorrow is an important match to be faced in the best possible way.”
Tomorrow there will be a female referee in Serie A for the first time…
“We need great respect with the referees. I believe the introduction of technology will allow the referees to take the field more relaxed. They can make mistakes as we do, but technology can help them. tomorrow. It’s not easy to referee.”
How important is Rebic?
“He pushes to play more than last year. He’s strong. He won’t be in top form yet, but it’s an important recovery. It gives us physicality and depth.”
Is tomorrow’s game important because we will see Milan’s post-defeat reaction?
“It is too important to start this part of the season well, we have to do it with the right attitudes and the right conviction.”
How important are ideas for a coach?
“The ideas are used to give the players the best solutions during the matches. Then it is the players who make the difference. My work is mainly based on the mental preparation of the players.”
You created many chances against Napoli…
“We have created many opportunities to create scoring chances. We have to find the pleasure of turning this effort into a goal.”
How can Empoli put you in trouble?
“It’s a team that go down the flanks a lot, they have many good qualities. We will try to limit them and put them in difficulty with our qualities.”
How do you comment on too many goals scored?
“We have to make the opportunities we create more concrete and be more careful and clear-headed in the defensive phase.”
We are officiale done for. 2 games against Chelsea and Juventus inbetween with all these injuries. And players available but not registed in CL
No problem at all we ,are are the best …I trust in our team , I trust in a truly great manager pioli ..I trust in Oliver Giroud , many more goals to come from him .
Let’s take each game as it comes .3 more points on Saturday….it’s AC Milan for me …keep believing if you don’t you won’t win anything ,just ask Olivier .
Tako je utakmicu po utakmicu sa onim najspremnijim i sa velikom vjerom i entuzijazmom !! Samo naprijed i bit če dobro !!