PIOLI: “IT’S TIME TO PUSH”
Two consecutive wins and the hunger, as well as the need, to continue on this path since the league restarted. After the long break, the resumption has been positive for AC Milan. Next stop: Ferrara on Wednesday at 21:45 CEST when the Rossoneri will face SPAL, who are fighting for points to avoid relegation. Before the team departed, coach Stefano Pioli discussed the encounter in a press conference at Milanello. Here's what he had to say:
BUILDING TOWARDS SPAL V AC MILAN
“We’ll need a lot of self-belief tomorrow, it’s going to be a difficult game. SPAL are coming off the back of two defeats, but they were close ones. They’ll give their all and we’ll have to show a lot of determination on the pitch. We’re doing well, but football’s unpredictable and imponderable: we’ll need to keep our focus and motivation levels high. I was pleased with the win over Roma but we’re still not satisfied with our current place in the table. All we’re thinking about now is the game against SPAL.”
THE GOAL
“If we haven’t got the results we deserved in the past after good performances, that means that we were missing something. It takes time to build a team and make it grow while implementing your own ideas. But we mustn’t look back, we have to live out these moments with full attention and intensity. There are 30 points up for grabs for us to try and achieve our goal. Our current average of two points a game is an excellent figure, we’re hoping to keep it up and we’re hoping that it will be enough to qualify for Europe.”
SELECTION DECISIONS
“It’s always important to select your best side, but it’s also so important to think about the bench. Even more so now that you can make five changes in a game. It’s going to be standard to make changes to best manage the squad, we’ve managed our energy levels well up until this point, but now we’re starting to play every three days we’ll have to change a few things in order to select our best side. We need to keep pushing on the good work we’ve done since the league resumed.”
INDIVIDUALS
“Ibrahimovic is doing well. He’s a lion, he’s always hungry. He had a great training session yesterday, if he repeats that today and gives me the all clear then he’ll be in the squad. Çalhanoğlu’s also a great player, he’s a leader in terms of technique but also as a person, I’m pushing him to make even more of a difference. He has everything to become a top player and it’s time he makes the leap in terms of quality. Donnarumma is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he’s got so much talent. He’s an essential figure in the team and we need him for the security and encouragement he provides. He’s calm and assured, he seems happy and I see him at AC Milan in the years to come. Saelemaekers has excellent skills, he’s a flexible and dynamic player. He’s got technique but he needs to try and be less hectic in his play. It wasn’t easy to foresee Rebić being so decisive, it also certainly wasn’t easy for him to earn his spot and become such a big player for us. He never gave up and he kept on working: that’s the right mentality and I’m very happy with how he’s developed.”
(Photo Getty Images)
