Stefano Pioli takes responsibility for Milan’s 3-1 defeat to Udinese, admitting he must’ve done something wrong ‘when the team plays without being aggressive, intense, precise or focused.’
This was meant to be a day of celebration for the Rossoneri, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic had his first start since January 2022, wore the captain’s armband and set a new all-time record as the oldest ever Serie A scorer at the age of 41 years and 166 days.
However, it was only a temporary equaliser for a matter of moments to cancel out the Roberto Pereyra opener, as Beto tapped in from six yards in first half stoppages.
Milan pushed in the second half, but were rarely dangerous, as instead Kingsley Ehizibue tapped in at the back post for the final 3-1 result.
“It was a negative performance. When the team plays like this, neither aggressive, nor intense, nor precise or focused, it means the coach has worked badly in preparing the match. We were too far below our capabilities this evening,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.
“You could say Ibra should’ve been higher, so should Leao, but ultimately this was overall a performance too low for our levels.”
It is another huge blow to their top four ambitions, as Milan have scraped only one point from their last three Serie A rounds, but Pioli shrugs off the suggestion they are focused more on the Champions League.
“It would be a serious problem if we were already thinking about the quarter-final, especially as finishing in the top four is the main priority. No, it’s just that we weren’t playing at our level the last few games, and if we don’t play at our level in terms of intensity, organisation and focus, we end up with performances like this.
“I am certainly disappointed, because in recent weeks we haven’t done well enough and haven’t played to our standards. We have to raise the level in everything, because this was not a good performance at all.”
Their away record has been dismal lately in the league, with two wins, a draw and four defeats in 2023.
“We played too slowly this evening, made too many errors, even without being pressed by the opposition. When Rebic and Krunic came on, we returned to a 4-2-3-1 formation, but trust me this was not an issue of tactics tonight. Too many times people talk about tactical systems rather than intensity and focus. We all can and must do better.”
Considering Milan did go back to 4-2-3-1 in the second half this evening, could they restore that system and shelve the three-man defence in the near future?
“We could return, we’ll evaluate, it also depends on our condition, what players we have available and the positions of the opponents too. We are eager to get back to playing the style of football we enjoy the most, that is suited to our characteristics and that gets results. Too many things didn’t work tonight.
“I absolutely did not expect this, because there were no signs of a lack of focus or other technical-tactical issues. We always prepare games to have advantages in certain situations, but we started badly and got worse, that is the reality. I need to work better to get my players more determined, rapid, concentrated and precise.
“Look, it’s clear we won’t retain the Scudetto, but we can win this mini-league of teams trying to qualify for the Champions League. We want and can do better this season.”
Pioli was seen talking intently to Rafael Leao in the warm-up, so what did he ask of the Portuguese talent?
“I asked him to be incisive, to stay in the game and be a striker. He was a bit too far away from the box at times, but he did earn the penalty and quite a few corners. When he doesn’t see enough of the ball, he tends to go a bit deeper to find it, but even with his qualities, he can’t always dribble past five or six players to get to the goal. We want to get him closer to the opposition goal.”