AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has dismissed the idea that his side are struggling physically amid an intense and demanding fixture schedule.
Milan are currently in a stretch of playing 8 games in 22 days between two international breaks. After the 4-2 win against Bologna, Milan face Torino next Tuesday and then there is Roma away on Sunday 31 October, then Porto at home in the Champions League the following Tuesday and finally the ‘home’ derby against Inter on 7 November.
Stefano Pioli hopes to recover some unavailable players between now and that tough trio of games with Theo Hernandez, Maignan, Diaz, Rebic and Kessie all out plus Messias, Florenzi, Plizzari and Pellegri all out currently.
Pioli spoke to DAZN after the six-goal thriller against Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side and was asked about whether he is worried that his team are becoming fatigued, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
“On a physical level the team is fine, then when after Europe you meet a team that has had a week to prepare it is difficult. We missed a match that we weren’t up to and it was Tuesday. We weren’t well on the pitch with the distances and Porto took advantage of it,” he said.
“It is true that we were losing 2-0 to Verona but we had done everything we had to do. It is true that we are conceding too many goals. I don’t think the team is physically tired, on the contrary I think it’s making a great effort from a mental point of view.
“We came back out thinking the game was over. We will grow again. On Tuesday we will have a match with an opponent who is doing very well, who plays intensely and can create difficulties for us. We must not make the mistake of thinking that we are a team of extraterrestrials. The matches must be played and interpreted with conviction.”
