Stefano Pioli reveals Rafael Leao has found his ‘favourite position’ in the new Milan formation and he sees the win over Torino as ‘the first step’ in preparing for Tottenham.
The Rossoneri are back in business after ending a run of over a month without a win in all competition, during which they played three draws and five defeats.
That included a 1-0 extra time Coppa Italia defeat to this Torino side, who at the time were down to 10 men, and a 3-0 Supercoppa Italiana loss to Inter in Riyadh.
“We absolutely must see this as a rebirth. We knew it would be difficult, that Torino don’t allow you to build moves cleanly with their high press, but we worked really hard both offensively and defensively,” the coach told DAZN.
“The goal removed a mental block too, we played better than at the start of the game. It was a small step that we needed. We work every day to achieve results, we haven’t been able to achieve that in recent weeks, which caused us both mental and physical pain.
“We need to keep going, playing the Champions League next season would be a good result, but we need to be more consistent.”
Pioli stuck with three at the back after the derby, this time a 3-4-3 rather than the 3-5-2, bringing back Rafael Leao and Brahim Diaz to flank Olivier Giroud.
It was the France international who got the goal, rising to flick his header in from a Theo Hernandez cross, for the first win since 2-1 at Salernitana on January 4.
It was also their first clean sheet in all competition since a 0-0 away to Cremonese on November 8, having conceded 20 goals in nine games.
“I believe a coach must analyse and evaluate the performances of a whole team and find out what to build on. We had conceded an average of four goals per game recently, so clearly something had stopped working in our defensive strategy,” continued Pioli.
“In all honesty, playing three or four doesn’t make the difference, we just need to find more confidence and positivity. We had to build on a more solid defence and can return to four in future when the defenders are in better shape. This was just the first step.”
Rafael Leao was dropped for two games in a row, including the Derby della Madonnina against Inter, but returned here in a 3-4-3 formation.
“Rafa is a strange player. I always thought that by putting him wide, it would be an ideal position for him. We tried a 3-4-2-1 and wanted him to be more central and closer to the striker, he told me that’s my favourite position! He was very happy to play there.
“Obviously, we struggled to build moves in the first half or provide service, he needs to cut more towards the outside against a three-man defence, but we’ll see with each game how things go.”
Giroud was again decisive with a header and is currently negotiating a new contract with Milan.
“Oli is such an important player, with his technique, positioning and leadership qualities.”
Tottenham are up next in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday evening, so is this a clue as to how Milan will be set out in that match?
“We’ll see, I need to have a look at Tomori and Bennacer’s conditions. We are facing some teams that are really very similar, as Torino, Tottenham, Monza and Atalanta are all more or less 3-4-2-1 formations.
“The team has evolved tactically now, so we can do different things, the important element is to do it with the right spirit.”