Milan boss Stefano Pioli is convinced the Rossoneri do not need new signings in January and believes injuries and lack of attention are the main problems for his team.
Milan faced Coppa Italia elimination in the Round of 16 following a 1-0 loss against Torino on Wednesday. They had been held to a 2-2 draw by Roma on Sunday, conceding two goals in the last five minutes.
Pioli was so upset on Wednesday night that he didn’t allow his players to return home and wanted them to sleep at Milanello.
“When something isn’t working, I struggle to wait until the day after,” the coach explained at a press conference.
“I preferred talking to them straight away and explaining what didn’t work. We played well against Roma and against Torino until minute 70. It’s not about who plays but about attention and desire.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted in the last two games, but we want to improve and I’ve seen the desire to learn from our mistakes.”
Milan visit Lecce tomorrow ahead of Wednesday’s Supercoppa clash against Inter. Which players will be back from injuries for the next two games?
“Divock Origi and Simon Kjaer are available [for Lecce]. Ante Rebic could be back for the Supercoppa. I hope the others will return soon because we need them all.
“With Torino, we had 36 shots, but only eight on target. Sometimes we were too hasty,” continued Pioli.
“We must do better starting from tomorrow and ahead of the Supercoppa. We know what we want and that, to win something, we have to raise the bar.”
Why has Yacine Adli struggled with playing time?
“He is training well and is available, I take decisions depending on games. He’s been affected because I have many options in his role, but there are no problems in terms of adaptation,” explained Pioli.
Milan director Paolo Maldini said the Rossoneri wouldn’t make new signings in January.
“I was aware of the situation and I am convinced that our only problem is not being complete in every department, there is no need to intervene,” ensured Pioli.
“Of course, there is a lot of attention on us because we won the title by playing good football. We want to do better, criticism is normal because we didn’t win the last two games. The Supercoppa is an important target for us, the season is still long, and we want to earn more points than last season.”
Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo is expected to start for Lecce tomorrow. The 20-year-old has scored four goals in 15 Serie A appearances this term.
“We are watching him closely,” admitted Pioli.
“He is improving and doing well. Lecce deservedly beat Lazio, they are fit and will create trouble for us.”