In the second part of his interview with Sky Sport and Gazzetta, Stefano Pioli said that the Champions League is ‘Milan‘s home’ and claimed the Rossoneri do not need new signings in January.
The defending Serie A champions end their training retreat in Dubai today.
Milan will face Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in the Champions League Round of 16 in February. The Serie A giants hadn’t played in this stage of the competition since 2014 when Atletico Madrid eliminated the Rossoneri.
Nevertheless, Milan have a rich European history being the second with the most Champions League trophies after Real Madrid.
“It’s our home, if you coach Milan, you can only think that the target is to be protagonists there [in the Champions League],” said Pioli.
“We’ll overtake certain steps only if we raise the level, so this must happen against Tottenham.
“The team who deserves it more wins the title,” continued Pioli, “the Champions League is also about luck and incidents.”
Milan ended the first part of the campaign with several players on the treatment table and Pioli believes they will be like new signings when they return to the pitch in 2023.
“I am often asked about the January transfer window, but I think our signings will be those players returning from injuries,” he said.
“This is a strong team when everyone is available, we have the quality and determination to play in the competitions we are into. Our target is to win something and we have four competitions to focus on.”
Among them, is Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has been out of action since May when he underwent knee surgery.
“Hopefully, he will be back soon,” said Pioli. “He wakes up in the morning, knowing he must give his all to obtain the best. When he is focused on something, he gives everything to reach his target.”