Milan boss Stefano Pioli insists his men won’t let the Coppa Italia defeat shatter their confidence ahead of the season finale. In the build-up to his side’s trip to Lazio for a crunch top-six six-pointer, the Italian manager delivered an update on his seasonal ambitions.
Milan suffered a morale-crushing 3-0 reverse to bitter rivals Inter in their mouth-watering Coppa Italia semi-final tie. Though their hopes of securing a long-awaited domestic double went out of the window, the Rossoneri are still firmly in contention to land their first Scudetto since 2010/11.
Milan have amassed 71 points after 33 Serie A rounds, their best points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since a title-winning 2010/11 season. Pioli’s men currently sit atop the Serie A table, one point clear of reigning champions Inter in second. However, the Nerazzurri have a game in hand, leaving the Scudetto race wide open.
Pioli’s bid to lead the Rossoneri to the top of Italian football for the first time in over a decade will face a stern test in the shape of Europa League hopefuls Lazio. The cup defeat to Inter may have crushed Milan’s spirits, but Pioli expects his side to ‘push beyond their limits.’
“We want to push beyond our limits to take something that at the start of the season seemed impossible,” he said in the pre-match conference, as relayed by Calciomercato.
“We are fully aware of the journey we are on and it’s the most electrifying, exhilarating and exciting one we could experience. We are motivated and concentrated on tomorrow’s match.
“Our fans have already won the Scudetto, because they are the best. They protect us, motivate us and having them in such big numbers at the Olimpico tomorrow will be a huge push. We know what we want to do.“