AC Milan followed up the 3-0 result against Genoa with another win and a clean sheet, beating Salernitana 2-0 at San Siro his afternoon. Stefano Pioli, speaking to the media afterwards, was pleased with his players.
As a result of the win, Milan are now first in the standings and they have seemingly recovered from the two consecutive defeats against Fiorentina and Sassuolo. Napoli will face Atalanta in three hours (20:45) and that will be an interesting clash for the table.
Speaking to DAZN after the game, as cited by MilanNews, Pioli shared his thoughts on the performance. He also spoke about the upcoming clash against Liverpool, which will be a big one for the Rossoneri.
On the performance…
“I leave with satisfaction for a good victory and a good performance. In football, nothing is taken for granted. It would have been better to score a few more goals, but I leave the game with confidence. We have given continuity to the good performance in Genoa.”
On Leao…
“He took a blow, he had hardened a muscle so it was better not to risk him. On the left he is comfortable, he is difficult to mark, he has to stand taller to be even more dangerous. Krunic did well with Diaz, he is a very intelligent and useful player.”
On Liverpool…
“Having met them already gives us some more information. Tomorrow we will study him with the boys. Liverpool have many advantages, they have great ability to verticalize and they know how to overturn the action quickly.
“They are a stronger team, among the strongest in Europe. We have this chance after a great match in Madrid, we will try. Now we will recover our energy. They are beatable in the defensive phase.”
On the Scudetto…
“I predicted a very balanced season, I was expecting maybe a few more teams while at the moment the first four places seem to be quite a bit ahead. Injuries and European matches could affect the race. We have to keep the level high for the whole year. We don’t have to look at the standings, we reacted well after two defeats in a row. We have to stay focused and try to have a nice Christmas.”
On managing the match…
“I hoped to unlock it quickly [by scoring] and then try to manage it. We had to close it with the third goal. I was sorry to take away Bakayoko who was doing well, but he was booked and I didn’t want to risk it. We managed the game well, it was a positive performance.”
On Diaz…
“He has to increase the quality of his plays, improve his vertical play and score more goals. But he is working hard for this. We are a very young team, I told the guys that we have to play with enthusiasm and speed. Pellegri’s injury? He had a good start and I was sure he would have had a good match.”
As said, Liverpool are up next and Milan still have a chance of advancing to the next round, but they need to beat the English side. A tough task that will require everything from Pioli and his men.
READ MORE – Florenzi plays down talk of Scudetto challenge: “We have to put pressure only on ourselves”
Source sempremilan.com
