Stefano Pioli wants his squad to be ‘very focused’ against Napoli and suggested that Zlatan Ibrahimovic would finally make his return.
The Rossoneri currently sit 3rd in the Serie A table, one point behind league leaders Inter, and a win over the Partenopei tomorrow would see them leapfrog their intercity rivals, taking the top spot. Napoli sit in second, tied on points with Pioli’s side and equally hungry for the Scudetto.
Speaking in a press conference, Pioli first discussed what kind of atmosphere he expects at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona tomorrow.
“There’s everything in the match, even the atmosphere. The spectacle and the atmosphere will be beautiful, it will be stimulating for Napoli and also for us, it will be a game to play for us.”
He provided an update on veteran forward Ibrahimovic.
“Ibra is better, he trained with us both yesterday and today and will probably be there tomorrow.”
The Italian coach touched on if he was happy with where Milan are currently.
“Two weeks ago I would have told you I wanted more, at the start of the season I would have said yes. We’ve come a long way and now there are 11 games left.
“We have to be satisfied, but from now on all the games will be crossroads and they have to be faced with a lot of focus and conviction. Napoli are in great shape, they have great quality but we have it too. We have to play with great strength.”
Pioli suggested that the recent Coppa Italia derby with Inter has not taken anything away from the squad.
“Nothing, the derby gave us energy rather than taking it away. We are ready for this match.”
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He did not want to think about the possibility of drawing in tomorrow’s match.
“If we go in with the thought of drawing you’re getting closer to a negative result than anything else…”
The Rossoneri coach spoke about how he aims to beat Napoli.
“Napoli have the best defence in the league. They know how to dribble and find depth. Both teams have strong offensive departments, so I think whoever defends best will win.”
Pioli discussed the physical condition of Ante Rebic.
“He’s fine and he’s coming back in the best condition. You have to start games with the best possible formation, but it’s also important to have the right substitutions.
“You have to stay in the games, many of them have to be decided at the end with additions that resolve them.”
He touched on the duel between Fikayo Tomori and Victor Osimhen.
“The matches will be more and more like that with duels. Tomori has had an injury… otherwise what are we training for!
“I have no doubts about Fik’s qualities, both in defence and in setting. He will find a strong opponent, it will be a fascinating duel.”
The Milan coach commented on the team’s ineffective crosses this season.
“The stats are influenced by our build-up play, our desire to fill the positions between the lines. We don’t tend to go deep to cross, but when you get there you need to have more quality in the crosses.
“Many times we prefer to play inside rather than outside, but I also think it would be better to start outside and then go inside.”
He was unsure exactly what type of game that Napoli would play.
“At 3pm Luciano will hold his conference, you have to ask him! We have to be able to read all the situations, knowing how to get out of the pressure when it is strong or understand when they will wait for us to dribble well and play in their half of the field. We have to be very focused and very prepared.”
Pioli discussed how Ismael Bennacer has improved since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“He is playing at this level with consistency, I expect this from him. The disappointment for his national team was strong, but Isma has a great character and will do everything to keep improving.”
He made a brief comment on if he’d like to coach Fabian Ruiz.
“I like my players a lot. In Napoli’s last few clashes they were difficult and balanced matches. Each team will bring their own characteristics to the table.”
The Milan coach spoke about how Napoli like to attack.
“Not only on the wings, but also centrally with Osimhen. We will have to understand when to be aggressive or when not to be aggressive, we need to be compact with the defenders who will have to be good at not getting caught behind.”
Finally, Pioli commented on the possibility of Napoli playing with a high line.
“I almost hope Napoli play with a high defensive line.”
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