PIOLI: "WE NEED TO GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS"
Milan travel to Cagliari for their next fixture at 15:00 CET on Saturday 11 January, looking for a breakthrough after three games without a win and without scoring. The Rossoneri face Maran’s side, fresh off the back of three defeats and certainly full of desire to pick things back up at home. Having announced his squad for the game, the Rossoneri coach Stefano Pioli spoke from Milanello about the upcoming challenge at the Sardegna Arena in today’s press conference.
THE BUILD-UP TO CAGLIARI V AC MILAN
“It’s been a big week, the players have been focused and determined. We need to be able to turn that quantity into quality. We’ve focused our work mainly on the final third: we’ve put in training on that, looking to be as decisive as possible. Cagliari are having a great season, even if they have just had a few bad results. But their performances have always been good. I’ve got a special relationship with Maran. We need to do everything to get back to winning ways, we need to be dangerous and effective and that will take pride and intensity. There are still 60 points to be won, we need to try and get as many as possible.”
NEW SOLUTIONS
“In times of trouble, when things aren’t going so well, you have to try and look for alternatives. If we change something at a tactical level in Cagliari it will be in search of new solutions to resolve our current problems, especially in terms of not scoring. We can play in different ways, I don’t think the system makes the difference. I always tell my players to believe in themselves, because it’s how you deal with difficulty that shows the kind of player you are. I don’t take part in what the media says about individuals.”
INDIVIDUALS
“Ibrahimović is doing well, he’s showing a lot of motivation in his work and he’s ready for the fight. Zlatan hasn’t had the minutes to play the full ninety yet, we’ll see whether he starts or comes on during the game. He’s an added value for the team, at the heart of our project, we have to create the right conditions to make the most of his characteristics and position on the pitch. Leão has understood that you can learn a lot from great champions. He has a lot of potential, he’s young and he’s not yet a complete player. Piątek is in the squad and he’s available to play. Let’s not forget that Jack’s only just coming back from an injury, it’s impossible for him to be at his best already; he’s had some aches and pains in the last few weeks that have held him back from being at his best, but he’s working hard. Krunić in for Kessie? I still have to make some decisions, I was leaning towards Rade before the game against Sampdoria. Paquetá not getting that many minutes? Selection decisions are part of the job.”
THE TRANSFER MARKET
“We have to accept that the January transfer window doesn’t close until the end of the month, the transfer window is open but we mustn’t let it affect us. In the meantime, the team and I have to remain focused solely on our game. At the moment, all of the players I have are part of the squad. Caldara? We’ve made some assessments on both a technical and physical level and we think that we can strengthen the squad in another way. Sometimes the transfer window can come at a strange time. We have three centre-backs in our defence, including Gabbia who has a lot of good qualities. Obviously we’ll need another centre-back soon.”
(Photo Getty Images)
