After the 3-0 win against Empoli, Stefano Pioli spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on what was a comfortable win for AC Milan. Indeed, the manager was very happy with what he saw from his players.
The Rossoneri opened the scoring after just 11 minutes through Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who found the back of the net with a tidy finish. 20 minutes later, things got even better as Olivier Giroud converted a penalty in style. The Englishman was named the MOTM, as he also won the penalty.
Milan dominated the game after that and sealed the deal in injury time, with Chaka Traore getting a second goal in his second appearance. Speaking to DAZN, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on the important win, also praising the individuals.
On the game…
“We must be more careful throughout the entire game, we conceded a few chances in the second half and for this reason, I called my players back. We come from experiences of losing a 2-0 leads after half-time, but today’s attitude was the right one. Definitely a positive performance.”
What is the key for the league?
“We need a much better second half than last year’s second half… This year, we definitely have to do better. We threw away some points, but now we want to go back to playing as we know how. We are already thinking about the next game.”
Has the negative moment passed?
“I think the negative period is behind us. But it’s useless to think about what we could have done, because there are still many games and many possibilities for this season to be positive too. We are growing, we are playing at a good level. Now we have Atalanta in the Coppa Italia, it’s a competition we care about and we will give our best.”
Theo very comfortable…
“Theo is very strong, equipped with intelligence on the pitch and a physicality that few have in the world. He is applying himself with intensity and attention as a centre-back which he, at times, didn’t even show as a full-back. He is performing at the highest level and today he didn’t miss a single intervention. I think it’s right to continue like this.”
Can Loftus-Cheek score more goals?
“He must score, he must get inside the area, he has timing, quality, technique. He must aim, not for double figures, but he must stay inside the area, also score with his head, and go one-on-one. But all of our midfielders can score more goals.”
Is it easier to train experts than young people?
“It’s like this. The experts used to train a bit on their own, while now the more experienced ones are the more professional ones, who lead by example, and are very intelligent. Young people sometimes want everything right away and are not so willing to sacrifice themselves to achieve something.
“Our people are here on merit, because they are good and very humble and available. It’s difficult to predict their career, but you have to give them time and the chance to make mistakes. But I want to say that an important group has been formed: there are no old people and young people, but a group that works well together and wants to give its best every match.”
Milan will face Atalanta on Wednesday in the Coppa Italia quarter-final. Seeing as Inter and Napoli have been knocked out already, the Rossoneri have a good chance of winning the competition. On the other hand, the last clash against the Bergamo side ended in a 3-2 defeat.
Oi, oi.. shut up already… When you win the next couple of games convincingly, then you can start talking.. winning against bottom placed teams should be a forgone conclusion, not something we should be worried about. Under your leadership we are even more concerned when playing low ranked teams. Nothing is ever straight forward …
No, you don’t get it, Pioli is the luckiest coach alive.
When you think yeah, his last chance, boom, the team goes on winning streak. Doesn’t matter who we play against, that’s just how Pioli is.
So, if we’re gonna sack him, the management just gonna take a bold decision.