Stefano Pioli opened up about Milan’s mindset heading into their Champions League tie with Napoli and revealed some of his coaching inspirations.
The Rossoneri will be feeling confident of their chances against the Serie A league leaders following their sensational 4-0 win away earlier this month. The absence of star striker Victor Osimhen also bodes well for Pioli and his squad.
The winner of Milan-Napoli will face the victor of Inter-Benfica in the semi-finals, lining up an exciting route to the Champions League final.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Pioli first discussed Milan’s mentality ahead of the clash with Napoli.
“We have prepared ourselves in the best possible way and we know the importance of this match, we know what’s behind Milan’s history in the Champions League.
“We have to be confident, determined and certainly careful, but we have to play with lightness, because it’s our way of playing, our way of training, our way of being together and so we have to carry it on.”
He reflected on Milan’s recent 4-0 win over Napoli and the qualities of Luciano Spalletti’s side.
“Matches cannot be repeated, you cannot make a photocopy and in any case the league is one thing and the Champions League another.
“We don’t know what our opponents will do, maybe they will be more aggressive, or they will be less so, if they will wait for us or come and catch us, so we have to be good at reading situations and understand the free spaces we can occupy both in possession and non-possession.
“What is clear is that we face a team of great quality, who are the team that has scored the most goals in this Champions League, so our performance will have to be of a high level if we want to have a positive result.”
The Italian coach touched on his team’s preparation for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
“I like to prepare matches, all matches cannot be prepared the same because our characteristics change, the characteristics of the opponents change and especially the position of the opponent. We prepare one game at a time.
“This one we have prepared by taking some cues from the last match, but with different situations, I’m sure situations will arise on the pitch that are not similar to the previous one.”
Pioli then spoke about his view on the difference between performances and results to L’Equipe.
“If you only think about the results you don’t make progress, I base myself on performances, the essence of my job is to work as a team.”
He commented on some of his coaching inspirations.
“Guardiola and Ancelotti are the best in the world, not for the same reasons. And I follow Arteta from Arsenal.”
The Rossoneri coach touched on the team’s growth over the last few years.
“We are going down a path that we started three years ago, and we were far from the top of Europe. I am proud to see the growth, but Milan’s history is to play in the Champions League. We are happy, but we must not stop here.”
Finally, Pioli discussed Milan’s turning point in January 2020.
“With Ibrahimovic, Kjaer and Saelemaekers we have improved technically and in terms of character. Ibrahimovic is no ordinary player, but a technical and moral champion, a role model, a reference point for a young group like ours. He has also been an enormous support for the staff.”