Stefano Pioli insists he has no problem with Davide Calabria and that Milan won’t change their playing style although they need to do more in attack: ‘It’s the most problematic aspect.’
The Serie A giants visit defending champions Napoli at the Stadio Maradona on Sunday evening. Milan will be looking to bounce back after suffering back-to-back defeats against Juventus in Serie A and PSG in the Champions League.
“In life and sport, you can’t think about the past. We must live in the present and tomorrow’s game is the most important,” Pioli said at a press conference, as quoted by Milannews.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted in the last two games. We paid a high price for our errors. Tomorrow we have a chance to show we are a better team.
“We have our style which we want to carry forward. Of course, there are situations where we must be more focused. Surely we won’t change our playing style.”
The Rossoneri boss was asked if he could switch to a 4-2-3-1 system against the Partenopei.
“We already play with a 4-2-3-1 formation when we don’t have the ball,” he argued.
“When our opponents play with a Regista, we mark him with a central midfielder, but when we have the ball, we cover different positions.
“I am convinced about what I do. I prepare myself and study every day. If I am convinced, I am more credible in my players’ eyes, so they are convinced too. I don’t think I am arrogant, but I can’t convince everyone [referring to critics, not players]. I must think about my players and the best ideas to win the next game.”
Captain Calabria criticised Milan’s attitude following Wednesday’s 3-0 loss in Paris, but Pioli hit back immediately, saying his defender should have used different words. However, the coach confirmed he later cleared the air with the 26-year-old.
“We want to give our best to reach our target and we didn’t make it. We can’t be happy and smiling after a defeat. We have clarified and now it’s even better than before,” he said.
“False things were said in the press room after the game, but it’s all good, we have cleared the air and we go forward.
“Calabria was not talking about his teammates, but he referred to the environment,” continued Pioli.
“We believe in it, we work in a certain way at Milanello, and we give our all until the end. There is no problem, I talk to my players and we have cleared the air.”
Milan did not score in the last two games and have not found the net in their last five Champions League matches. Is Pioli working with his strikers to solve their problems?
“Of course, we are working on it, it’s the most problematic aspect. We lack the final pass, the finishing and filling the box with more players. Jovic and Okafor are fit and they’re available,” said the Rossoneri boss.
“We must bring more players inside the box. We are putting in more crosses than last season, so central midfielders and wingers must run inside the area more frequently. I think Tijjani [Reijnders] has the characteristics to do better in terms of final pass and finish because he has always scored goals. Against PSG, we often recovered the ball in their half and we could have hurt them, but we missed the final pass or the final movement.”
Pioli was asked how Napoli have changed with Rudi Garcia.
“Garcia is an excellent coach and he’s on the right path. He will be without Victor Osimhen but it happened last season too and they still got great results.
“They haven’t changed much defensively, they use a 4-4-2 formation. They still want to keep possession so it’s hard to see big differences. Perhaps Giacomo Raspadori can connect attack and midfield more than Giovanni Simeone who I know really well. He is a good striker who attacks the space well.”
Pioli confirmed Ruben Loftus-Cheek won’t be available against Napoli.
“He is important defensively, physically and technically, but we can be dangerous without him too. He has recovered from a muscular injury, but he now has groin inflammation. He keeps improving every day, he misses the last step and he won’t be with us tomorrow. There are good chances he will recover for the next game. He suffered injuries in the past so he must be guided and supported. He started off well, but now he must be supported.”
Lastly, he discussed Theo Hernandez and how the Frenchman can contribute to Milan’s development.
“I think we are developing different things on the left flank. Theo knows how strong he is and that he must raise the bar,” argued the coach.
“Contrary to the Chelsea games last season, I had the feeling we were close to the highest level against PSG. We must make more steps forward and Theo is one of those players who can help us reach that level.”