Stefano Pioli insists Milan do not need to defend Christian Pulisic and urges Rafael Leao to think he can ‘make the difference’ in every match.
Pioli held a press conference on Wednesday, the eve of the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 against Slavia Praha.
The Rossoneri secured a 1-0 win over Lazio on Friday. Their winger Pulisic received death threats on social media after the match following an incident that led to Luca Pellegrini’s red card.
“It wasn’t our best game technically, but we showed the right attitude. The team feels well. The decisive part of the season is coming, and we are ready to face it,” Pioli said about the Lazio game, as quoted by Milannews.
“Pulisic does not need to be defended. His story speaks for itself. Social media have become a place for insults and rudeness and Pulisic has all our support,” continued the coach.
Both Pulisic and Leao are expected to start tomorrow. The Portuguese striker is suspended for the next Serie A match, but Pioli has high expectations ahead of tomorrow’s fixture.
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“Rafa has the quality to make a difference in every match,” said the Rossoneri boss.
“Sometimes he didn’t score, but he let the others do it. He’s always been a threat [for opponents] and a reference point to us. He must continue believing in himself and think he can be decisive in every game.”
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“We must think we can win it, but we must qualify for the quarter-finals first. It’s not right to look too far ahead,” Pioli argued.
“Every opponent is tough in Europe. We’ll meet a team that only once in the group phase and we must make the most of playing at home. We must take one step at a time. We feel well and we must be convinced that we can go all the way.
“My players have proved to have made giant steps compared to four years ago. We have improved.”
PSG and Borussia Dortmund eliminated the Rossoneri from the Champions League group phase and PSG have now qualified for the quarter-finals.
“Unfortunately, the Champions League is no longer part of our present and we must not think about details we missed in the past,” noted Pioli.
“Now, we must only think about the next game and go as far as possible in Europe.”
Pioli doesn’t agree that the Rossoneri have had too many highs and lows over the last few months.
“The last game we lost heavily was Monza. Our performances have been high across the last two to three months,” he said.
Talking about tomorrow’s European fixture, he added: “History doesn’t play. We must rely on our strengths, on the environment and our quality.
“Slavia are a team that plays with intensity. They run a lot and they do it wisely. They play vertically, keeping three strikers close. They are fast and powerful. They have a good quality on average and their coach is very good. He rotates five or six players in every game, keeping a high bar. We must face them with respect.”