AC Milan were held to a disappointing draw at Cremonese this evening and Stefano Pioli certainly has a lot to think about. The manager, speaking to the media afterwards, was understandably frustrated with the result.
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Pioli’s men struggled to create chances this evening and as a result, Cremonese were able to sit back and defend for most of the game. 27-73 in possession says a lot about the clash, an advantage that the Rossoneri really should have capitalised on.
Speaking to DAZN, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli admitted that it simply wasn’t good enough from the Rossoneri this evening. He did, however, refrain from criticising individual performances as it was more of a collective breakdown.
On the game…
“I think we could have done more. It was a discreet first half and in the second half, we were not up to par. We weren’t able to create a volume of play and situations to create more chances. Cremonese left little space but we could have done more.”
On the substitutes…
“I think that we lost speed in the second half and created a lot of duels. If you can’t get past the opponent it becomes difficult to create chances. We missed the play, the flicker, the movement. We had to move better without the ball, we struggled to find more solutions.”
On Leao’s display…
“I think it’s wrong to focus on the individuals. We win as a team, then we cannot point the finger at the individuals after such a poor collective performance.”
On Cremonese…
“We expected this attitude. We had to move well, with the necessary time and give solutions to the carrier. This failed, even though we had opportunities to score goals.”
On the distance to Napoli points-wise…
“It’s a lot and we don’t like the standings but on Sunday, we have the chance to win again. The season is long with many points available, but we didn’t want this gap. We need to give Napoli a run for their money.”
On De Ketelaere…
“I understand the media effect but let’s forget how much was paid. We can play better, more qualitative and more dangerous football.”
Milan will face Fiorentina on Sunday and it will be the final game ahead of the World Cup break. The Scudetto seems to be drifting away, with Napoli currently eight points ahead, making that clash a crucial one for the Rossoneri.
