Stefano Pioli says Milan players ‘have a fire burning inside’ and insists Hakan Calhanoglu wants to stay at the club.
The Rossoneri end the year on top of the Serie A table after a late 3-2 win over Lazio on Wednesday.
Pioli gathered his players in the middle of the pitch to celebrate with them after the final whistle.
Stefano Pioli says Milan players ‘have a fire burning inside’ and insists Hakan Calhanoglu wants to stay at the club.
The Rossoneri end the year on top of the Serie A table after a late 3-2 win over Lazio on Wednesday.
Pioli gathered his players in the middle of the pitch to celebrate with them after the final whistle.
“I called them to wish them a merry Christmas, I knew they would run away afterwards to join their families,” Pioli told DAZN.
“We always try to win games, we did it and I am really happy, I am proud of my team, they are doing something incredible,” he added.
Do Milan miss Zlatan Ibrahimovic?
“A champion like Zlatan is always missed, we are stronger with him on the pitch, that’s clear. We are aware of it. The fact that Lazio kept the ball possession after our goals is my fault. I told Alexis Saelemaekers to sit deep, but we had to be aggressive instead.
“Lazio have great qualities and physical skills, but we had the chances to win the game and we did it,” Pioli said.
“They were very aggressive, our midfielders played an intense game, it was what we needed in such a difficult game.
“We are winning many games because we have strong footballers, I wouldn’t change them with others. [Hakan] Calhanoglu has incredible technical qualities, he is a fantastic player, he always knows what to do, he is generous, he is a top player.”
The contract of the Turkey international expires at the end of the season.
“I think Calha is happy here, negotiations are ongoing, but we all want the same thing.”
Where do Milan need to improve?
“The club deserve the praise for 2020. They are helping us to work in the best possible way. They gave me strong and young footballers.
“They are all aware of their qualities and I expect to see the same things in 2021. We are not perfect. There are many things we need to solve. We can’t always dominate games, it’s normal, when we don’t do it, we must be compact and suffer.
“We played many games, I hope injured players will return soon. It was difficult to rotate players but these guys have a soul. The fans welcomed us at the stadium today, they are giving us so much.”
Will the Rossoneri sign new players in January?
“If there will be an opportunity we’ll try to improve this team, but I am happy about this team. We’ll keep the same passion and determination. There are many young players who have room for improvement.
“We have reached our targets this year, we are the table leaders. We have a fire burning inside and we need to leave it on.”
Theo Hernandez scored a late goal and DAZN pundit Massimo Donati asked Pioli what the former Real Madrid defender is eating.
“I am not even too sure he eats as well as we would want,” he said with a smile.