Pioli breaks down Udinese defeat, Jovic’s struggles and more: “I take responsibility” | OneFootball

After the disappointing 1-0 loss against Udinese, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli spoke to the media about the performance and what went wrong. He admitted that they need to be worried about the recent displays.

Milan are now on a four-game winless streak, finding the back of the net in just one of those games (2-2 against Napoli). PSG are up next and the Rossoneri will be heading into that crucial challenge low on self-esteem, which is far from ideal.

Speaking to Sky after tonight’s loss, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on the game and the recent negative results. He stated that the team didn’t do what was planned, adding that the whistles from the fans were justified.

On the performance…

“We didn’t play the match that we could and wanted to play. We struggled and lost clarity as well as quality. There was too much confusion this evening. We should be worried about the results and the match tonight. Clearly, it didn’t go as it should have. We knew it could be rough and we also had some situations: but that can’t be an excuse. It wasn’t an up-to-par performance. We need to change the course immediately.”

PSG up next…

“Better or worse, we have to face them and we only have one result in mind. We will have to play a great match in all aspects because we will face a strong opponent. After a disappointment like this, it is better to face a match of this magnitude.”

On Jovic…

“He’s a striker who’s good at holding the ball and distributing for others. In the first half, we needed to open them up a little more. It’s also the first game he’s played from start and I don’t think we lost and played poorly because of Jovic. Today we all played poorly. The longer the match went on the more we lost confidence and quality”

With frequent tactical changes, is a centre-forward missing?

“I’m sure I have important characteristics at my disposal in the attacking department. Today I made a different choice than usual due to the absences of Pulisic and Chukwueze. I’m sure that we have an attacking department that can allow us to be more dangerous than we were tonight. We have to do much better. The boos and whistles from the fans are right, especially towards me.”

On Ibrahimovic and environmental problems…

“I believe that many conversations that are made, and rightly so, are almost all aimed at results. Until ten days ago, no one was talking about the absence of the club or that Pioli was alone. I focus on the pitch and we can definitely do better there. I’m focusing on the level of play that needs to improve and which can’t be the same as tonight. As for the rest, you know how Zlatan thinks, how the club is working with me. I have everything to work well and if the results don’t come it means that I have to work better and that the responsibilities are mine. I take responsibility.”

Several of the Milan players performed below their usual standards tonight and you can read our player ratings here. It remains to be seen if there will be any other tactical changes for the game against PSG on Tuesday, but at this point it might not even help.