Alexis Saelemaekers has received a lot of criticism for his performances this season and that aspect didn’t exactly improve when reports revealing a poor mentality emerged. Stefano Pioli has now shed some light on the matter.
Up until the most recent clash, against Bologna, Saelemaekers had made an appearance in every single Milan game this season (all comps). An impressive stat that thus came to an end on Monday evening and there was a reason for that.
Saelemaekers has always been a very hard-working player, both on and off the pitch, but Calciomercato.com reported three days ago that this mentality has faded a bit. In fact, Pioli has been unhappy with his work in training as evidenced by the latest snub.
During today’s press conference, which was inevitable, Pioli was asked about the status of Saelemaekers. The manager provided a very diplomatic answer, as you would expect, but also more or less confirmed the drop in mental will.
“Alex is a Milan starter, everyone is a Milan starter but I have to make decisions. The psycho-physical condition cannot always be 100%. I made certain decisions because at that moment, I thought they were right but there are many other opportunities,” he stated.
he has not been a starter Stefano,he has come off the bench, and many times with just a couple of minutes left in the match, regardless if you are a fan of,or if you hate him, as a player you need to first get into the rhythm of the game before you make any impact. Ibra is the only one I have seen instantly respond. Tomorrow he starts and we shall see if the moment is too big for him, his value to the team/career depends on it.