Stefano Pioli speaks at a press conference in Milanello on the eve of Fiorentina-Milan: his statements.
On Fiorentina’s particular moment: “Unfortunately it is not the first situation of this type that has happened to Fiorentina. Florence and the Viola fans are fantastic when they have to unite in difficulties. A particular environment will await us at the beginning given that the memory of Barone is still alive, then it will be a difficult match”.
On the conditions of the national teams: “Those who stayed at home recovered some energy and worked well. Tomorrow Kjaer won’t be there, he came back with a muscle strain and tomorrow as a precaution he won’t be there. The one who played the most is Pulisic, I’ll evaluate him, but yesterday he seemed in good condition.”
How did you experience the Acerbi-Juan Jesus case? “It becomes difficult for me to judge the episode because I don’t have everything at hand, but we can’t help but all be against incidents of racism in stadiums. It’s time to stop.”
At the end of the championship: “The decisive period of the season begins. Everything we have done up to now is important, but it will all depend on the next matches. We must worry about raising the level of our performances.”
Are the 14 points away from Inter real? “We cannot change the ranking. Inter did something extraordinary, while we, especially in a month, were unable to obtain a few more victories. In recent months we have gotten closer both in terms of play and results.”
About Reijnders: “He can become a complete midfielder. He is also improving when not in possession. He is already a high-level midfielder. He is a great worker, he has ample room for improvement.”
What season finale awaits you? “There are still many important matches. Now the most important is tomorrow’s match in Florence where we have always found difficulties. You have talked a little too much about the future. We only have to think about the present and these last two months of the season. Then at the end of the season he will tell you what season it was and what I want for next year. Let’s just think about Fiorentina and then the following matches.”
Have you read the statements of Pupi Avati who said that he will not support Milan as long as you are on the bench? “I don’t have Pupi Avati’s number. If he no longer supports Milan because my relationship with Maldini isn’t good, he’s very wrong. I have an excellent relationship with Maldini, so he can easily return to supporting Milan if that’s what he wants. wants to do”.
After the stops you struggle a little. How do you explain it? “They were not the results we expected. Each break has a different story. After the first breaks, we had few players here and those who had gone to the national team had played a lot. In this break we worked well and those who left came back well “.
On the absence of Theo Hernández: “We will definitely miss him. We will play with different characteristics and exploit the qualities of Florenzi which are different from those of Theo. Theo is demonstrating all his qualities.”
Can Bennacer play from 1? “He had to work individually, but he made good use of this week. He’s fine and could even play from the start.”
How is the adaptation of Terracciano going? “He suffered a bit from the impact of being a top club at the beginning. He’s working a lot. I’m fielding him as a full-back.”
Have you spoken to Giroud about his future? “He came back recharged and determined. I spoke with him, but nobody here thinks about the future. He is attentive and concentrated as always.”
How did you see Okafor as a centre-forward? “I chose Okafor to have the depth necessary to exploit him. He is doing very well both as a striker and on the left.”
What is the difference between Bennacer and Adli? “Bennacer is the strongest midfielder we have in defensive one-on-ones, I think he is almost unbeatable when it comes to winning the ball. I think he can improve in reading some situations, perhaps stalling, you can’t always be aggressive. Adli is less skilled one-on-one, but he has very interesting characteristics.”
Why is Milan struggling so much in Florence? “It’s not a coincidence. Fiorentina is strong at home, they only lost against Inter. The difficulties are also due to the environment. Tomorrow we want to do better.”
How to limit Fiorentina’s fifths? “Fiorentina don’t have fullbacks, but they have fast offensive wide players and full-backs who push, so we have to be very compact.”
What Fiorentina do you expect tomorrow? “I expect an aggressive Fiorentina that attacks with great players. These are things we would like to do as well, then the quality will depend.”
Without Theo, will Milan be less offensive? “No. The characteristics will change but not our approach. Maybe some positions will change in the setup phase”.
