Stefano Pioli is hopeful that Milan can get back to winning ways with victory over Roma at San Siro on Sunday, but has admitted that the Rossoneri’s results in the first half of the 2023-24 season have left everybody unsatisfied.
The Milan coach conducted his customary pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon ahead of the visit from Jose Mourinho and Roma.
Milan currently find themselves in third place in Serie A, but have plenty of work to do to be considered as title contenders, as they currently sit nine points behind rivals Inter at the top of the division.
The Rossoneri were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Atalanta at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday, adding to their elimination from the Champions League in December. Pioli now faces a tricky task in keeping his players motivated until the end of the campaign.
“We must try to have a very specific objective,” Pioli said, via TMW. “That is to improve on the first round. I think this would guarantee third place. If you want to aim for something even better, you really have to improve a lot.
“The meeting (with the team) took place. It seemed to be an effective discussion on what we want to do from tomorrow onwards. We have very clear objectives. We have suffered another disappointment, but we must transform it into good energy to redeem ourselves immediately.”
Asked what role Theo Hernandez will fill against Roma following his recent stint at centre-back, Pioli said: “Theo did very well as a central defender and was effective in both defence and attack. Tomorrow, Ill see which team I’m going to field. Theo will certainly be on the pitch.
Pioli was also asked for his thoughts on Mourinho’s comments. Among other things, the Special One labelled Milan as title challengers. Pioli replied: “Mourinho is a top player, he is smart, he is shrewd, and before certain matches he always praises his opponents.
Reporters also asked Pioli for his opinion on the recent interview given by referee designator Gianluca Rocchi. “I completely agree with Rocchi, I respect him a lot. We all have to watch our tone. The discussions must be punished harshly, but on the other hand, I ask for more consistency and uniformity in the refereeing,” he said.
Gerry Cardianle will be at the Giuseppe Meazza for Sunday’s game against Roma. On that topic, Pioli said: “I haven’t heard from Cardinale, but I always speak to Furlani, Moncada and Zlatan. Cardinale’s attendance is important. At the moment, nobody can be satisfied with the season.
“It’s not a coincidence. In direct clashes, you need to be at a high level because the points value is always the same. If you drop in level … (you will drop points as well).”
On Milan’s plan to add more defenders to the squad in January, the Milan coach added: “We’ve not abandoned that idea. The club is working hard to fill the gap. A defender is definitely still needed.
“The objective we have is just to make an immediate recovery, to make the fans happy and to win tomorrow’s match. Inside us, we must have the ambition to win every gae. In the last seven, we have had a good rhythm and Inter and Juve have only picked up one point more than us. But we need to pick up speed. From now on and for the next four months, we whill have to chase them quickly.”
Pioli also provided comments on recent signing Filippo Terracciano, who was brought in from Hellas Verona earlier in the week.
“At the moment, he is working as a wing-back. Florenzi won’t be there tomorrow and that’s where he could be used.”