Pioli: “The match against Atlético is very important but it won’t be crucial, we need to have a good performance technically, Giroud is doing better” | OneFootball

Stefano Pioli during a press conference at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

Stefano Pioli spoke to the press ahead of tomorrow’s match against Atlético, saying Milan need to show they’ve learned things from the Liverpool game.

Tomorrow, the first time since 2014, San Siro will host a Champions League match featuring Milan. The Rossoneri will be playing the same side they played in that game 7 years ago – Atlético Madrid.

Milan are coming to this game from the second place in Serie A and a record of 5 wins and 1 draw in 6 games. However, in their last Champions League match against Liverpool, the different in quality was evident and the match ended in a 3-2 defeat in Anfield against Jürgen Klopp’s side.

Today, coach Pioli held a press conference at Milanello, where he answered various questions:

The feeling is that this is an anomalous, an unusual young team. We started the second half against Spezia with four strikers: Pellegri, Maldini, Leão and Saelemaekers. Typically, young guys are too exuberant, dizzy heights, crazy lows… but that’s not the way that Milan. You are a very mature young side, no? “Yes, we are acquiring experience and I think we’ve done a very good job throughout this time in really maximizing every single opportunity to really try and do something better and do something more. Yes, we are a young side, there are a number of advantages to being a young team and that where we can’t get there with experience, we need energy, enthusiasm, and ideas, and of course we’ll get a big lift tomorrow night from our fans at San Siro.”

Stefano Pioli and the squad during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

We’ve already spoken at length about the difficulty of this group. The Spanish Champions come to San Siro tomorrow night, they are struggling in this moment in time but they are still the La Liga Champions, they have a number of top players in their side and it’s very important to play well. How can you beat this Atlético Madrid side and what sort of game are you expecting? “I don’t necessarily agree with the statement about their form, they were unbeaten until Saturday and are at the top in La Liga, they are a very solid side, they’ve got a very well-prepared coach and they have some top-class professional players. They have experienced guys there and there are able to really maximize any small error so we need to make sure that we play a very good performance from a technical perspective, we need to be very focused for the whole 95 minutes.”

After the trip to Anfield, both you and Ibrahimović said that this was really a postcard, a perfect example, of what Champions League football is all about for good and bad. Where do Milan still need to improve in order to be up to the standard of Champions League football? “The level is very high and I think in fixtures such as these, we saw that in the Liverpool game, ultimately it comes down to fine margins and details. We conceded a couple of opportunities to them when we made mistakes and because of the top-quality opposition – they punished us, so we need to make sure we produce a very high-level technical performance, we need to try and keep the ball simple, move it quickly, we need to make the right decisions because in the end the opposition can hurt you from one moment to the next. We are talking about a team that beat Real Madrid and Barcelona last season, they’ve been in the Champions League for many years, and they’ve made it to the final of this competition. So once again, we need to show focus, quality and I think the Liverpool experience can serve us well so we are in a better position tomorrow night to be competitive against a very strong team.”

Champions League balls during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

What did you make of Giroud’s performance when he came on at La Spezia? How is his fitness, can he play a part tomorrow night? “Of course, at this level it’s very difficult… you lose a bit of fitness and tempo when you’re out for a fortnight, so it was important for him to get the minutes under his belt to improve his fitness levels at La Spezia, so he can feature in the upcoming matches.”

This is only Matchday 2 of the Champions League Group Stage. However, looking ahead at your chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, do you think this can be a crucial match? Making the most of home advantage, the excitement of the fans and making sure that you actually get off the mark? And then you face Porto next, I think this could be a crucial game as well in terms of trying to qualify for the Round of 16… “We won’t be lacking the desire and enthusiasm to play a good game tomorrow night because we’ll be back in front of our fans, we’re back at the competition that we strove to get into with all of our power. I think this is a very important match but it won’t be crucial in terms of our chances of qualifying but there would still be 4 matches and 12 points to play for. But of course we will try to get off the mark, absolutely.”

I’ve got a question about Theo Hernández: this is his third season with the club, he is performing very well in an attacking sense, but perhaps you might have expected greater improvements defensively, since he seems to struggle against certain oppositions defensively? “No, I think he’s really coming on leaps and bounds defensively as well, I think he played very well defensively at the weekend, coming up against a forward that was always trying to cut inside, he worked well in terms of the back-four and I think it was one of his better performances in terms of how comprehensive it was. Of course, his attacking qualities are nothing new to anyone and I think he is also mixing things up with the way he attacks, I think that’s very important and I really believe he is producing top-level performances.”

Simon Kjær and Andrea Conti during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

Yesterday we saw Kjær return to training and that is very important for the team as whole. Could he back for the Champions League game? Ibrahimović certainly won’t be… “I think that for Kjær and Florenzi, today’s training session and tomorrow morning’s will be very important so we’ll see overnight whether they’ll actually be available for selection for tomorrow night’s game. Of course I hope that it’s the case. It’s a lot harder for the other guys to return and I think it’s more probable we’ll see them after the international break.”

You’re up against a head-coach who has been in his role for more than 10 years at Atlético Madrid and he even has an adjective – Cholismo. Do you think you can stay at Milan for a similar length of time? Do you think your team reflects who you’re all about in the same way? “It’s a family group like Brahim Díaz said earlier on… In my mind, I don’t think there’s any shelf life on the rapport I’ve created with the fans, the players and the club – we have the same ambitions, we want to get the most out of every match, every season and we need to kick on and push on down this road. Ultimately, tomorrow night’s game is the future, it’s a very difficult, important, fixture. We need to show great enthusiasm, energy and know what a good side we are. Of course, we need to produce a top-level performance as well.”

Davide Calabria during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

Pioli also had an interview with Sky Italia ahead of the match:

You return to the Champions League at San Siro, playing against the same team against whom the circle was closed… “We will certainly take the energy from San Siro, but at the moment there is a lot of concentration to prepare for a difficult game.”

Will you try to play the game? “The idea was also to do it against Liverpool, then the uphill start complicated our plans. We will play to command the game, then there are the opponents who can force you to find alternative ways. We’ll face a mature team, with players ready to hit you at any time.”

Does this match represent a first crossroads? “Of course we want to abandon the ‘0’ in the points column. It will be not a decisive match, but it will be important.”

Matteo Gabbia and Brahim Díaz during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

So many young players in this Milan team… are you particularly proud of your job? “The merit is first of all the club’s because they have followed this line and brought in talented players. We are still at the beginning of our journey, we must continue to work with humility. We need respect for our opponents, but also awareness of our own means.”

How as the day-after for the Maldini family? “It was a normal day. We did a recovery session, having overcome two games that were important and difficult.

Did you expect Brahim to be so decisive? “We had no doubts about Díaz’s abilities. The first thing is does well is attacking the opponent’s penalty area and helping the team in both phases of the game.”

Stefano Pioli during training at Milanello. (@acmilan.com)

What does raising the bar mean this year? What more do you see in your group? “It means being competitive with the best teams in Europe. We were missing something against Liverpool, where the level was very high. Now we have the opportunity to show that we have learned something. At Anfield we played well for quite some time, but tomorrow we’ll have to be good for the full 90 minutes.”

How is Giroud doing? “He is better. Clearly he’s lost a bit of fitness, it doesn’t take much at our level. But the 45 minutes he played at La Spezia have made his condition improve.”

Speaking to MilanTV, Pioli said: “Our performances have certainly been positive, the difficulties we have faced prove how tough Serie A is. Nonetheless, the team was always ready, we won difficult matches, playing well and with quality, and above all the right mindset. The mindset that allows us to stay focused the entire 95 minutes. Now we must focus on tomorrow night, we didn’t get a positive result from our first match in the Champions League, which makes tomorrow’s a very important game, against a really strong team. The general level is really high so we need to raise the bar of our performances.

“We’ve always analyzed our performances well and finding the positive things from the match, and more importantly we try to avoid the mistakes which stopped us from getting a good result in Liverpool; a result that at a certain point of the game had seemed possible. When you’re on a high level, mistakes cost you dearly. So, we need to play very well with maximum focus and attention because we’re playing against an experienced and mature side, one that is ready to make the most of any mistake their opponents make.

“The fans are giving us an incredible boost and so it will be tomorrow night. We need to make the most of this situations, we need a lot of energy to throw onto the field and we’ll be taking it from our fans. We are a young team in this competition, but we can overcome that through ideas, organization and of course enthusiasm. And our fans will certainly give us that enthusiasm.”