AC Milan lost the first of two games against Inter, conceding two quick goals in the first half. After the game, Stefano Pioli spoke to the media about what went so wrong for the Rossoneri this evening.
Pioli’s men put in a very disappointing performance, especially in the first half, as Inter easily won the ball and reached the final third in 2-3 passes. In fact, Milan were lucky to not concede any more in the first 45 minutes.
Speaking to Prime Video, as cited by SempreMilan.it, the gaffer shared his thoughts on what went wrong on such an important evening. He also spoke about the return leg and the condition of his big star Rafael Leao.
On the game…
“Inter played better than us in the first half and scored two goals, we played better in the second but failed to score. Inter immediately scored with their first corner kick. It’s clear that we had to be more attentive and ready, especially on the second goal. We wanted another performance and another result.”
On the lack of compactness…
“The goal was to be an aggressive team, Inter got the better of many second balls. They did very well to score two goals, complicating the match from a tactical and mental point of view, then I saw a great reaction there and that’s what we have to do in the second leg.”
On the return…
“We have to start with the attitude we had in the second half, but with an intense approach and with more quality. Today we missed many easy solutions.”
Have you spoken to the team yet?
“The boys are aware that it’s not the performance and the result we wanted, there is disappointment and the determination and will to try and change this result in the second leg.”
On the referee…
“I protested in the end because he wasn’t consistent in his decisions.”
On Leao…
“There are still seven days to go, today he wasn’t in condition to play. We’ll see.”
Milan will take on Spezia next and it remains to be seen how much Pioli will rotate. The Rossoneri still need to clinch a top-four finish in the league and the game is thus a must-win, so heavy rotation will not be an option.
