AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli believes that the club’s history in the Champions League acts as a propelling force rather than added pressure.
Tomorrow will mark a historic day as Milan will face their city rivals Inter over two legs for the third time in history, with the other two occasions being in 2002-03 and 2004-05. The Rossoneri triumphed in both, winning the competition in 2003, but this is a brand new couple of games.
In view of the historic ‘EuroDerby’ in the Champions League semi-finals that will take place on May 10 and 16, coach Pioli was interviewed by the New York Times with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“It gave us more faith, more strength, more conviction. It exists. This club is used to these moments, these emotions. It knows how to be a protagonist,” he began.
Milan’s recruitment firstly under previous owners Elliott Investment Management and now RedBird Capital has been largely data driven and has seen the club rely increasingly on young players, with some experienced heads for balance.
“A club has to have a project. Ours was very clear: to invest in young players with talent, and then give them time to grow. The club was smart in making sure there was a mix,” Pioli added.
“That’s why we have been able to get such good results in such a short space of time. Sometimes, a coach can say something and it has an impact. But sometimes, when it is a teammate, a champion, it helps, too. It is all done with the same aim in mind.”
Milan are also operating in a league that is now widely regarded as having fallen behind some other countries like England and Spain when it comes to generating revenues, so more innovation is needed in ideas and plans.
“But when that is true, you have to be innovative. With ideas, with quality of work. It has become an undervalued league, in my mind,” Pioli added.
“There are lots of different ideas, different styles, lots of confrontations with teams and coaches who have different systems of play or how they interpret games. Calcio has suffered for a few years. But now it is ready to be a protagonist again.”
