Stefano Pioli admits Milan’s stoppage-time comeback to beat Empoli ‘excites and moves’ him, so even if there are more injuries, ‘with this spirit and determination, we’re ready for anything.’
It all seemed to be going wrong for the Rossoneri at the Stadio Castellani, as after Ante Rebic finally broke the deadlock with Davide Calabria, Alexis Saelemaekers and Simon Kjaer going off injured, Nedim Bajrami had scored a 92nd-minute equaliser for Empoli.
However, Milan refused to be beaten, scoring another two goals in stoppages with Fode Ballo-Toure and Rafael Leao’s lob.
“It is a victory of the group, but that is always the case at Milan, because we are eager to grow together and do as well as possible,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“Injuries happen over the course of a season, but I am fortunate to have many talented players who all have the right attitude and feel they are within the project.
“It was a strange, intense game, we should’ve scored earlier, lost our way after the injuries and then got back on track. It was a victory of hunger and spirit. We lost to Napoli after a 22-game unbeaten run, this is a new front to the season and it was important to start on the right foot.
“Most of the players only got together for training on Thursday, we knew Empoli had intensity and pace to cause us problems, so it was a concern. I might be biased, but my players excite and move me every time.”
The first half was dominated by the medical staff, as Calabria was stretchered off with what looked like a hamstring strain and Saelemaekers hurt his knee.
“Calabria and Kjaer have muscular injuries, Calabria’s pretty serious. Saelemaekers looks like a sprain of the collateral ligament, we’ll see what the tests say.
“In any case, with this spirit and determination, we are ready for anything. It is nearly three years since I have been here, we have our identity and ideas, so two days were enough to prepare for Empoli. Even if we had to make a few adjustments and use some players in roles that they aren’t accustomed to, we still played with our principles and organisation.
“These are players who suffer on the bench when I make my decisions, but never complain and are always ready to step up. It was important to do well tonight, but I watched Chelsea play today and we will have a struggle there next week, so need to recover our energy.”