Stefano Pioli examined the journey that brought him to Milan in an interview. “I got offered a job as a team manager at first, but I wanted to work on the pitch. I have had several experiences that helped me a lot and led me here to one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. These stretches when you play a lot of games are the ones I like the most.”
The gaffer spoke to DAZN: “We feel the pressure for being title contenders now. We did not start the season to win Serie A or Champions League, but to succeed in every game. The management is always very supportive.”
Pioli weighed in on the current Milan squad: “The most important job of a coach nowadays is deciding what to say before and after games. I no longer do that in the immediate aftermath. I go into the locker room even less since Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined. You are not fully lucid in those moments, so I prefer to talk the day after. We have a few leaders that address the match beforehand.”
Pioli added on Ibrahimovic: “He has a great mentality and internal strength. Despite what he has already achieved in his career, he still has great desire and conveys that to everybody. He entered the group very smartly. He holds everybody, including himself, to great standards.”
“Rafael Leao is at his best on the left wing. He is acquiring more and more confidence in his physical and technical skills. He is hard to contain in the one-on-one. Theo Hernandez has learned how to get away from who is guarding him, removing a reference point.”
Pioli quickly addressed the major departures in the summer: “Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu were fantastic up until the final moments.”