Stefano Pioli urges Milan to be ‘ambitious’ against Roma and assures they are not becoming predictable, so the only reinforcement they’re seeking is a defender.
It kicks off on Thursday at 17.30 GMT at San Siro.
The Rossoneri missed out on the Winter Champions title, but consolidated second place at the midway stage of the season.
“The Christmas break helped us rest and work in training, and although some players aren’t at 100 per cent, they will be soon,” said the coach in his press conference.
“We want to win as many games as possible and pick up more points than last season, so that means a second half of the campaign at a very high tempo. Does we start chasing down Inter from tomorrow? Yes.
“I see a team that is hungry and we created this pressure on ourselves because we are ambitious. We need to prove ourselves in every game.”
The January transfer market should be an active one for Milan, especially after Simon Kjaer was ruled out for the rest of the season by knee surgery.
“Kjaer’s injury forces us to focus on the defence, but I have not made any other requests, as I think the squad is complete like this,” explained Pioli.
“We are looking for a complete defender, someone able to deal with the one-on-one situations, courageous and good at building out from the back. I am sure we’ll find the right player.”
Roma have become more of a defend and counter team under Jose Mourinho, upsetting Atalanta with a victory in Bergamo, so could that pierce the sometimes sluggish Milan attacking moves?
“Many focus on our static initial positions, but our system is not predictable for the opponents. We are also prepared to change things if need be. Brahim Diaz struggled a little recently with sharpness, but the rest did him good and he’ll be the same decisive player he was at the start of the season.
“Roma are different, both technically and in terms of their mentality, as Mourinho has done a great job. These are three important points.”
Pioli traccia l’identikit del difensore: “Stiamo cercando un giocatore completo, con tempismo difensivo e capace di impostare” https://t.co/CJbhalYrpO
— MilanNews.it (@MilanNewsit) January 5, 2022
I like this guy less and less. Did not apply lessons from CL defeats.
No, we do not ONLY need a defender, we need an attacking midfielder above all else. If we continue with just Diaz in that position then we’re beyond stupid, even if he somehow finds the form of his life again, he’s gonna get tired towards the end of the season anyway.
I don’t think Diaz is ready to be the first choice trequartista for Milan.
Come on now Pioli, be a more ambitious please. I know not demanding much makes you popular with Elliot and hence ensuring job security, but if we are to challenge for scudetto, it is obvious that the squad is NOT good enough. Another playmaker is a start. Then a reliable striker, though yeah, this could probably wait until summer as our workload is decreasing. Saying the squad is good enough is probably endearing to the players too, but unfortunately, this would also mean that players become complacent. Case in point is of course Diaz. He was a beast before covid, but after covid, even if he played badly, we didnt have a choice but to keep playing him. We cant afford to rely our season on the form of one player only.. More competitive nature could bring the best for everyone!