Stefano Pioli admitted Milan ‘must find improvements soon’ following their derby loss to Inter and Champions League draw with Newcastle.
The Rossoneri didn’t put a foot wrong in their opening three Serie A outings, beating Bologna, Torino and Roma, but they collapsed in an embarrassing 5-1 Derby della Madonnina defeat. Following that match, they were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle in their Champions League opener.
Pioli was much criticised by Milan fans following their last two matches, with some now believing that he’s taken this team as far as he can, wanting a change in the dugout.
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Pioli first discussed if a win against Hellas Verona could be a turning point for Milan after their recent wobbles.
“Winning is always important, especially for us who are coming off a defeat in the league. There are no easy games, but there is only the desire to interpret them well with quality.”
He was asked about his squad choices.
“Clearly I’m trying to make the choices to win tomorrow, then everyone is champing at the bit and that’s right. There will be the starting 11, then changes during the match with different characteristics.
“The important thing is to have this availability from the players, they will all play for the many games.”
The Italian coach commented on the mentality of his players.
“We are fine, we are convinced of what we are doing, and we are convinced that we will play the right game tomorrow.”
He highlighted how the clash with the Gialloblu was an opportunity for the club.
“Absolutely yes. For us there is only Verona, they are an intense, aggressive team and we are prepared for this. It is important to get three points again.”
Pioli confirmed the fitness of striker Olivier Giroud.
“He is very well, he is important for the team and must be managed. There will be a way to manage him well, he has no physical problems and is in excellent condition.”
He gave his thoughts on the work of the new signings.
“Very positive opinion. They are guys who have quality, availability, who have joined together well. The insertion time is over due to major causes, but it’s not over completely because many of them come from other leagues. They are already ready to give their contribution.”
The Rossoneri coach was asked what the draw with Newcastle left his squad.
“We absolutely must insist on certain things, some are positive, on others we must grow and find improvements soon.”
He provided an update on Luka Jovic.
“He had a difficult summer, he trained little with the team and he lacks a bit of rhythm. He can’t get a lot of playing time.
“But he will grow. He knows how to play football, it’s important to have players who know how to move in space and attack the area well.”
Pioli was asked about the recent criticisms of Rafael Leao.
“Leao is making an important journey and is doing everything to transform himself from a great player into a champion.
“It is clear that he will have to manage some game situations better and it is clear that as he grows up like this the responsibilities increase, but he is working to manage this pressure.
“I don’t like it at all that too much responsibility is given to a single player for both positive and negative results. We think that a mistake is everyone’s mistake.
“He is doing everything, everything to become a champion. He must continue like this. To do this, he goes from excellent performances to some less so. On a character level, he is making incredible progress.”
He commented on his rotation plans.
“There is certainly an idea of planning to distribute energy, then it is clear that it is the matches and the conditions of the players that tell you what to breathe more on.”
The Milan coach was asked if the Newcastle draw helped them forget about the derby loss.
“It didn’t close or open anything, it’s part of the Champions League and we wanted to win. We hold on to many positive things and the limits of the derby.”
Pioli was asked when Mike Maignan would return.
“Maignan is better, he just has some fatigue. Playing so close together, sometimes lasting a week, making you miss two games, or maybe just one… Let’s see. The important thing is that it won’t be a long injury.”
He weighed in on the work of Samuel Chukwueze.
“We want Samu to be very open, he was used to cutting a lot inside the pitch. The idea in Newcastle’s first half was to target a full-back with another pass, in the first half we didn’t make much use of him, then I put Pulisic on. But we’re satisfied of his performance.”
The Rossoneri coach discussed his expectations of Hellas Verona.
“We don’t know if Verona will stay closed. We have to be very careful. Up until now Verona have been aggressive, but we also expected other opponents to be aggressive, but then they played a different game. We have to have the intelligence to understand what solutions to adopt.”
Finally, Pioli spoke about Marco Sportiello’s ability to replace Maignan in goal.
“He knows our positions and game principles very well, he is ready to help us even in the build-up phase. As with Torino, the goalkeeper will probably have more time to build up tomorrow too.”