In a formal articulation, Milan coach Stefano Pioli concedes the conclusion of the Serie A title race, acknowledging Inter’s commendable performance throughout the season. However, he issues a cautionary remark directed towards Lazio, reflecting on their dominant 4-0 victory from the preceding season by emphasizing the enduring significance of certain aspects.
Pioli conveyed these sentiments during a press conference held on the eve of Milan’s upcoming Serie A fixture against Lazio. Notably, the Bianconcelesti are set to face Bayern Munich in the forthcoming second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, thus prompting an alteration in their fixture schedule to accommodate the match, which is rescheduled to Friday.
With Milan trailing by a substantial 16 points behind Inter, Pioli unequivocally asserts the apparent conclusion of the title race from their perspective.
“I think so. Inter are having a fantastic season and they’ve had a tough fixture list too. They’ve won all the games convincingly. I think it’s over,” he said as quoted by Milannews.
“Napoli had incredible numbers last season and Inter are doing the same. They’ve only lost once.”
The Nerazzurri had the opportunity to potentially clinch the title during an upcoming derby della Madonnina in April, yet Pioli appeared disinterested in the prospect.
“You are phenomenons for burning energy for things that are far away,” he said.
“There’s time before April 21 and we must only focus on tomorrow’s match. We’ll make assessments at the break.”
Why did Milan fail to beat Atalanta last week?
“We analysed the positive things and those that didn’t allow us to win,” said Pioli.
“We didn’t win because we couldn’t score an extra goal despite having the possibility.”
How many points do the Rossoneri need to qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League?
“Allegri is good at these things,” Pioli replied.
“I think he said 70 points are needed, so we still have a long way to go.
“We only think about Lazio. We do not need to rest somebody before Thursday’s game,” continued the Rossoneri boss.
“There is still time. We have recovered many players. We’ll have a packed fixture list and we’ll need everyone.”
Pioli was queried regarding his sentiments in response to social media criticism, specifically characterized by the hashtag #Pioliout.
“I am not on social media, but there will always be criticism,” he argued.
“We have important targets and I am focused on these things. I am happy and proud to coach here. I think we are doing an excellent work.”
Pioli insisted that referees have not targeted the Rossoneri despite the many red cards received this season, more than any other Serie A club.
“No, the referees are doing their best. There isn’t bad faith towards us. Sometimes, we are lucky, and sometimes we aren’t.”
Speaking about Milan’s next opponent, Lazio, Pioli said: “We must improve our numbers away. We always try to dominate possession and we’ll try to do the same tomorrow against a quality opponent.
“Both teams will try to keep possession with different principles. We have the quality to make them run and create a numerical advantage in some areas of the pitch. We’ll face a strong midfield and duels in that part of the pitch will be crucial.”
The Biancocelesti beat Milan 4-0 in their latest meeting at the Stadio Olimpico last season. “You don’t need to remember these things, they remain inside,” said the Rossoneri boss.
Stefano Pioli, the head coach of Milan, has garnered commendation from Luciano Spalletti, the coach of the Italian national team. It was anticipated that Pioli would convene with the national team coach at the Milanello training ground in recent days.
“It’s always nice to receive praise from other caches. We spoke a couple of weeks ago about the training schedule, but in the end, he couldn’t come. He deserves to be the national team coach.”
Pioli also explained why Tijjani Reijnders didn’t play against Atalanta: “He is a great player, but I picked Adli against Atalanta because of his defensive positioning. Reijnders didn’t train yesterday because his son was born so congratulations.”
Lastly, Pioli opened up about Rafael Leao’s developments on and off the pitch: “His growth has been exponential regarding work and relationship with the team. 18 or 19-year-old players are required to mature quickly, but everyone follows his own pathway.”