Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer said Stefano Pioli has brought the required ‘team spirit’ and revealed why he is booked less this term.
The Algeria international said the 5-0 defeat to Atalanta in December 2019 was the turning point for the Rossoneri.
“After that defeat, there was a lot of soul searching within ourselves,” he told news agency AFP. “And we came out of it.
“The coach knows how to manage the group, he is close to us, he always asks us if we are tired, if we are fine and so on.
Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer said Stefano Pioli has brought the required ‘team spirit’ and revealed why he is booked less this term.
The Algeria international said the 5-0 defeat to Atalanta in December 2019 was the turning point for the Rossoneri.
“After that defeat, there was a lot of soul searching within ourselves,” he told news agency AFP. “And we came out of it.
“The coach knows how to manage the group, he is close to us, he always asks us if we are tired, if we are fine and so on.
“He brought that team spirit that we may not have had enough of before and taught us how to wear this jersey.”
Bennacer was out with a hamstring injury for a month and a half this term and the midfielder spoke about the experience.
“It’s the first injury that has kept me off the pitch for so long,” he revealed. “But I do have a good feeling regarding the recovery.”
The 23-year-old was known for the many yellow cards he received in Serie A last term, as he was booked 14 times in 31 games.
This year, however, he has only received one yellow in 10 Serie A games and said Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped him improve.
“I work a lot on my defects,” he continued. “I was a little too aggressive, I didn’t think. Under the guidance of Ibrahimovic, I learned quickly.”