Stefano Pioli admits Milan’s own errors proved ‘costly at this level’ in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, as they crashed out of the Champions League.
The Rossoneri knew they needed a miracle going into the final group game, as they had to beat Liverpool and hope Porto drew with Atletico Madrid, or that the Spaniards win without overturning the overall goal difference.
As it happened, Atleti won 3-1 in Portugal and Milan fumbled a Fikayo Tomori opener to lose 2-1, both times Mike Maignan making the save only for the Liverpool players to react quicker on the rebound.
“We knew this group was incredibly difficult, and so was tonight’s match, but unfortunately we were unable to keep a high enough tempo and we made too many mistakes, which at this level are costly,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“There are regrets, because I think we deserved more, especially against Atletico Madrid and Porto at home. Having said that, it can happen at this level for such an inexperienced squad.
“We have seen the kind of opponents there are in Europe, the quality and focus needed, so we will learn from that. Remaining in Europe was our objective, but we will try to take the lessons from this experience and keep growing.”
Liverpool’s high press caused particularly problems for the Diavolo at San Siro this evening, but Pioli did not change approach.
“At times we could’ve tried a long ball over the top and skipped the midfield to make the most of Zlatan’s presence, but the biggest issue I think is that too often we played backwards rather than forward. For example, on the second goal we moved it backwards, inviting the press and that put pressure on everyone on the edge of our area.”
The two goals conceded tonight were very similar, as in both cases Maignan made a save and the Liverpool players were quickest to react on the rebound.
“I was a little surprised by Porto, but these are teams accustomed to the Champions League, whereas it was the first time for many of us, so we suffered a little in terms of mentality and preparation. We could’ve had more quality today and raised the tempo, but the first half was decent. We needed to stay solid and I think we did that until the equaliser.
“Unfortunately, conceding the second goal like that knocked the wind out of our sails, but we had chances to the end with Krunic, Messias and Kessie. This is the Champions League, our mistakes gave the goals away and it’s what we need to improve.
“It’s disappointing, but it will help the growth process and we needed experiences like this to make us stronger in future.”
Pioli also revealed he spoke to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp about the state of the pitch at San Siro, which is a world away from Anfield.
Many Milan fans will be happy to finish bottom of the group, as like Inter last season, it means they can now focus all their resources on chasing the Scudetto.
“It took Klopp several years of investments before he won with Liverpool, so it’s a process. We can only thank our fans for supporting us and use this to grow together.”