Stefano Pioli believes Milan will ‘learn more from this season than the Scudetto campaign’ and it is tricky keeping the balance right between raised expectations and how quickly they improved.
The coach said they had already dried their tears after the Champions League semi-final defeat, 3-0 on aggregate to Inter, and the team certainly seemed focused in this evening’s 5-1 demolition of Sampdoria.
Apart from the temporary Fabio Quagliarella equaliser, it was a dominant performance with Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz and the Olivier Giroud hat-trick.
“It was good for us to play, as we had to get the disappointment out of our Champions League elimination. We scored lots of goals and that can only help our confidence going forward in Serie A,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
This result keeps them in the running for a top four finish and the Brahim Diaz goal in particular was a well-worked team move of the kind Milan fans have seen too rarely this season.
“There are two matches to play, then we’ll see where we end up. Clearly, we went beyond expectations in the Champions League where last year we went out in the group phase, but just as clearly, we wanted to go all the way and did not do as well as expected in Serie A.
“We were too inconsistent in Serie A and we failed to win too many of the games like this one. Now we have Juventus coming up, we’ll try to prepare and remember that when we play good football, we can do really well.”
Giroud said he had certainly not expected when he arrived in 2021 to be experiencing a Scudetto and Champions League semi-final.
“The journey we had over the last two seasons has been extraordinary and well beyond what anyone saw coming. We kept the balance sheet positive, helped a young squad to grow and won the Scudetto, then reached the Champions League semi-final.
“It is also true to say we are Milan, we ought to be competitive in both Italy and Europe. We raised the bar and we had a few slip-ups this season in Serie A that damaged our position. I am proud of the decisions made by the club, the directors and my players, because I know how hard we’re working to improve.
“I am sure we’ll learn more from this season than we did in the Scudetto campaign, because difficulties help you to mature and understand things better.”
Giroud scored a hat-trick today, but is also about to turn 37, so are Milan looking for a centre-forward who can grow in the veteran’s shadow or immediately step into the starting XI?
“A strong player. The squad has solid foundations and the club has done very well to extend the contracts of the players who got us here, we must also remember that there is no such thing as a reserve player nowadays, you need everyone to contribute.”
Pioli has always been appreciated for his man-management and it was put to the coach that he ought to be proud of his own part in Milan’s growth.
“I am proud of the work we are doing all together. The highs were wonderful, the lows were painful, but we know what we want to do, we know who we are and will try to continue growing to make these marvellous fans happy. The team had ups and downs this season, but the fans only had ups, they always stood by us and behaved impeccably.”
Charles De Ketelaere came off the bench today and again failed to make much of an impact, so will last summer’s big signing be loaned out to gain experience or remain at Milan next season?
“I don’t know that, we haven’t yet discussed the particulars. People forget too quickly how much our young players struggled at the start, like Tonali, Leao, everyone who comes to Milan needs time to realise what it means to play in a stadium like this with these expectations and this atmosphere. It takes time and patience, which we have.
“I believe the objective is to improve this squad.”