Milan coach Stefano Pioli confessed he was “angry with my players, because we had defensive duties” and didn’t stick to them in a 4-2 defeat to Inter.
The Rossoneri had dominated the first half, taking a 2-0 lead with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s assist for Ante Rebic, then scoring the second himself.
Milan coach Stefano Pioli confessed he was “angry with my players, because we had defensive duties” and didn’t stick to them in a 4-2 defeat to Inter.
The Rossoneri had dominated the first half, taking a 2-0 lead with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s assist for Ante Rebic, then scoring the second himself.
However, Marcelo Brozovic and Matias Vecino quickly got it back to 2-2, then Stefan de Vrij’s diving header and a last-gasp Romelu Lukaku icing on the cake sealed a 4-2 Inter victory.
Both sides also rattled the woodwork, Milan with Ibrahimovic and Christian Eriksen’s free kick at the other end.
“The first half saw our strategy work very well and perhaps we deserved to be more than 2-0 up,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“Unfortunately, those two incidents where we should’ve done much, much better changed the game on a level of mentality. Conceding two goals in three-four minutes made all the difference.
“We had the chance at the end to equalise 3-3 with Ibra, but we were too distracted on the goals. Inter are a much more experienced team than us and more accustomed to playing certain games, so they got back into it. We were also unfortunate, as we hit the woodwork twice.”
Pioli made it clear he had warned Milan of the dangers in this game, but some of his orders were not followed to the letter.
“I am angry with my players, because we had some defensive duties in those situations and the moment we let it go, we were punished.
“It’s a real pity, as we were in control and out-playing a strong team, making it look like there was never a 19-point gap between us. We had defensive duties and we did not perform them.
“It was absolutely our best first half of the season, but we lost a derby that we had been winning, and we must build on the qualities we showed in that first half. The match must be analysed on the whole.
“We cannot leave Brozovic unmarked on the edge of the box and we cannot allow Alexis Sanchez to spring the offside trap. These are things we know and ought to do properly.
“I have to be angry, I have to be upset, because I need to get it into the minds of these players that they are capable of great things if they avoid those errors.”