Stefano Pioli reveals Olivier Giroud was not originally the Milan player meant to go in goal against Genoa, but the dramatic win was earned with ‘mentality, character and strength. We are now a team.’
The Rossoneri struggled to break Genoa down at Marassi and waited until the 87th minute for the breakthrough with Christian Pulisic’s control, chest and turn.
There was plenty more action to come, as Mike Maignan was sent off, so was Genoa goalkeeper Josep Martinez, so Giroud went in goal and made a desperate stoppage-time save.
“It never happened before, it was Christian Pulisic who wanted to go in goal and we told him he was too short, so Oli got the job,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“A lot of strange things happened during the match, we knew it would be difficult, but we held out well. This is a victory of mentality, character, strength and I am very satisfied with my players.
“We had five away games in eight, so being in this position makes us very happy. We know that there are many things we can and must do better.”
Inter were held to a 2-2 draw by Bologna today, having taken a 2-0 lead in the opening 12 minutes, so this result puts Milan two points clear at the top of the table.
“It is too early to look at the table, there will be three or four teams fighting for the Scudetto, but this result is important for self-esteem after a tough run of fixtures. Just three days after the Champions League tie against a team in very good shape, it is remarkable to be able to put in a performance of this intensity and desire. Admittedly, it wasn’t the best on a technical level, but we believed to the end.”
It has been a remarkable turnaround considering Milan lost the Derby della Madonnina 5-1 to Inter only last month, yet are now ahead of them in the table.
“Everything went wrong in that game, but we couldn’t just stop the season there. We were fortunate in that we immediately had to get back on the field in the Champions League against Newcastle, so we were able to focus on something else. Now there is the break, we will take it, as many need a rest.
“The week after the break for international duty will be even tougher, as we have Juve, PSG and Napoli. We will lose at least two of our players against Juve, as Theo Hernandez and Maignan will be suspended.”
This is the first time since winning the Scudetto that Milan have been alone at the top of the Serie A table, but the team looks very different.
“We have more alternatives, more options to draw on, more players who can change a game, but that is part of becoming a big team. I watched a lot of games recently and the team play is important, but ultimately it is also the talent of the individuals who can shoot from distance, dribble past opponents, jump higher than the others to reach a cross. Clearly, this season we have many players who can make that difference.
“It was a tough match today, as Genoa moved around a lot, Vasquez even forced Chukwueze to defend deeper with his runs. We did better in the second half, avoided losing the ball so much and then Christian got the winner.”
Pioli transformed his attack this evening, resting all three first choice players to start Samuel Chukwueze, Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor. Was that purely about fresh legs?
“No, because I thought these were the players who could take men on and then Christian and Rafa could give us more options after the break. I am lucky to have a strong group of players who work together, so I don’t see it as an A and B team.
“When you have this many fixtures, the biggest problems are not physical, but psychological freshness. If we had started the usual, then we would’ve still called from these other players off the bench to shake things up. Genoa deserve credit for a remarkably aggressive and focused defensive performance.”
Jovic had his first start, but again struggled with confidence and made very little impact.
“He had some good moves today, collaborated with his teammates, held the ball up well. He is a very sensitive lad who came off a difficult season where there were high expectations, so he can certainly step up in terms of intensity and he will improve.”
Pioli thanks the Milan directors for putting together a competitive squad that fit all his criteria.
“I had asked the club to have a squad almost complete by the time we started the pre-season tour in America. The club also signed players who are young, but they are not lacking in experience, so it was not difficult to put them together.
“Now the period of getting the new players to settle in has finished. We are a team, with our own strengths, weaknesses, limitations and errors, but we are a team.”