Stefano Pioli has been AC Milan’s head coach since 2019. However, he was once extensively linked with the AS Roma job when he was the Chievo manager in the 2010-11 season. Before Thursday’s clash, he reflected on his talks with the Giallorossi.
The past five years have had ups and downs, and this season is a perfect reflection of this. A season filled with periods of difficulty, but now Milan are thriving under Pioli’s stewardship, which seemed to be a fading possibility for large parts of the season.
However, before Milan and Lazio, Pioli had been approached by Roma and had meetings with the Giallorossi about the possibility of the now 58-year-old taking the reigns of the club, but ultimately, nothing came to fruition.
On the eve of Milan’s clash against Roma, Pioli spoke to Sky about his history with Thursday’s visitors, reflected on what could have been, and gave an insight into the fixture. His words have been relayed by MilanNews.
When Milan return to Europe it’s always a special return. Are there similarities with last year’s derbies against Inter and Napoli or is it a different story?
‘It’s another story, another competition. For both is an important goal. We know the difficulties of facing an opponent who is very well at the moment, who have quality players, who play excellent football. But we know that we arrive at this moment well and we have our qualities to put on the pitch tomorrow night.”
Now it’s a different Roma?
“Yes. It’s another story, another way of playing, of understanding the game with other positions on the pitch. We haven’t spoken and we haven’t reviewed the league challenges but we’ve focused on the new positions and the new concepts that De Rossi has passed on to the team. We believe we know our opponents well.
Is this your best moment of the season?
“It’s a good moment, the performances as well as the results are telling us this. The team is well, it faces the most important moment of the season in the right conditions, with almost all the players available, so we’re ready to put in a lot of work, a lot of quality, a lot of compactness, a lot of attention: it will be a challenge over 180 minutes but we’d like to bring home something positive as early as tomorrow evening.”
A Europa League that almost seems like a Champions League…
“At the end, there will be teams of the highest level, already in the quarters there are very important teams. It is a competition of the highest level. It’s not the Champions League but there are really strong teams, an important and prestigious goal to be faced with care’.
How close was he to coaching Roma a long time ago, before going to Lazio?
“It wasn’t the year I went to Lazio when I was contacted by Sabatini, but I met him when I was still the coach of Chievo. I met him twice, they were positive meetings but then I went to Palermo and he chose Luis Enrique. He wasn’t wrong. After that no, just rumours but nothing so concrete’.
Is Pioli’s Milan more comfortable facing Mourinho’s Roma or the Roma coached by De Rossi?
“Difficult to answer. Sometimes we found it difficult with those who attacked us high, sometimes we found it difficult with those who waited for us. We’ll see how Roma come for us if they come for us at all. De Rossi is doing a great job and he’ll certainly try to take away those offensive solutions that are giving us great results at the moment”.
Did you watch the Champions League last night?
“Absolutely. In the first half, I only watched Real-City, in the second half I watched both games. Very high-level matches, I believe that the teams that will take the field tomorrow night will be able to offer a very good show especially for the quality of the players but also for the mentality that both teams are showing.
