Stefano Pioli admits he “expected more” from Milan after their 2-1 defeat to Roma. “We’re making mistakes that are too obvious for a club of our status.”
The Rossoneri were beaten at the Olimpico, as despite a temporary Theo Hernandez equaliser, defensive howlers gifted Edin Dzeko and Nicolò Zaniolo the goals.
Following a 2-2 draw with Lecce, it means Pioli has picked up just one point in his two games on the bench.
Stefano Pioli admits he “expected more” from Milan after their 2-1 defeat to Roma. “We’re making mistakes that are too obvious for a club of our status.”
The Rossoneri were beaten at the Olimpico, as despite a temporary Theo Hernandez equaliser, defensive howlers gifted Edin Dzeko and Nicolò Zaniolo the goals.
Following a 2-2 draw with Lecce, it means Pioli has picked up just one point in his two games on the bench.
The statistics make worrying reading, as after nine rounds Milan have only 10 points, scoring nine goals, and sit three points clear of the relegation zone, already seven adrift of fourth place.
“I expected more, yes. Over the two games, we frankly gave our contribution to the failed victories. We made mistakes that were too obvious for a club of our status,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“We had done well enough in the first half and ran few risks, but the inertia of the game would’ve been more in our favour had we not given away that goal.
“There’s no point denying it, the situation is negative right now and we keep making clear errors. The most evident errors were on the two goals, but they weren’t the only ones.
“We knew Roma would press some of our passing lines and not others, but we gave the ball away so cheaply. We knew there would be issues on set plays, as Roma have a lot of height, but even then we could’ve done better.
“I saw the performance as a step backwards compared to the Lecce game last week. If the ball moves slowly from the back, it becomes difficult to create any spaces.
“With a little more focus and concentration, we could’ve kept the match in the balance for longer. We were imprecise and paid the price for that.
“I don’t think we lacked determination, but we made too many wrong decisions and that is costly against a side on the same level as you. We needed to play better on a technical level, with more precise passing, and we just didn’t do that.
“There were some good situations, but we didn’t press them when they had the ball and once Roma took the lead, it became dangerous on the counter-attack.
“I believe we have the quality to be more dangerous in attack than we were tonight and to be more solid than we were. At this level, the games are in the balance and the slightest detail can make the difference.
“I don’t believe we were negative or lacking in courage, but we conceded goals in avoidable situations and that had a psychological knock-on effect.”
Krzysztof Piatek was the big January signing for Milan, but for the second game in a row has been benched in favour of Rafael Leao.
“My idea is to get the best out of all my players, but I’ve only been working with them for 10 days. After the good collective performance against Lecce, I decided it was best not to make too many changes, so we could try to build some consistency.
“Clearly, we want to get back to winning ways, but we need to prove it on the pitch. It’s too easy to say that.”