AC Milan failed to extend their winning streak in the league as well as bouncing back from the UCL defeat mid-week. Instead, they almost made it two consecutive defeats but were saved by Zlatan Ibrahimovic in injury time.
The Rossoneri made a crucial mistake in the first half, courtesy of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ismael Bennacer, and that resulted in the opener for Udinese. From there on, they struggled heavily and didn’t really create much.
Fortunately, in injury time, the ball dropped to Ibrahimovic and the 40-year-old managed to score the equaliser with an acrobatic finish. However, the draw still means Milan could drop to third place once this round is over.
Speaking to Sky Italia and DAZN after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Stefano Pioli shared his thoughts on the performance and what they need to improve. They have clearly struggled lately and something needs to change.
On the game…
“Pioli’s Milan doesn’t count, our style of play counts. We weren’t able to have the clarity in the decision-making to get through such a compact defence. We didn’t create clear chances but we often entered the box. We could have drawn level earlier and tried to get the win.”
On the goal conceded…
“We are conceding goals, almost all from our buildup because we make a mistake in the decision-making. You pay for these situations. We have to be more careful and better when the ball is in our possession.”
On the team…
“My boys are aware, both in the successes and in the defeats. We come from two not so exciting performances and we have to do better in many situations. Tonali’s words are important because there is ambition.”
On Tonali not starting…
“Both in the league and in the UCL we played well and won with all four midfielders. The goal was born from an error. In addition, we are in the seventh game in 20 days and playing three days after a match in the Champions League takes away mental energy.”
Point gained or lost?
“When we don’t win we can’t be totally satisfied, but the point is a sign of how much the team wanted to not lose. Unfortunately, we left the Champions League, now let’s start with small goals. Last year we scored 43 points in the first round, now there are two games left and we have 39: we will try to do even better.”
On Bennacer and Bakayoko…
“The problem is that Bakayoko didn’t have to stay between the lines, our midfielder shouldn’t receive it there with his body facing the goal. Today we tried to build with Isma lowering himself between the two centre-backs, but he didn’t always succeed in a precise and fast way.”
On Brahim Diaz…
“It’s not his best time. He’s had his chances. If you score goals, you go up even in performance, he must find the best condition. By training as he is doing he will return to his levels.”
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