Milan coach Stefano Pioli believes they took a small step forward in their 1-0 win over Torino, while Rafael Leao has found his ‘favourite position’. The Rossoneri had been on a dismal run of form, losing four matches in a row before last night’s slender victory against the Granata. Speaking with DAZN post-match, Pioli explained why he sees the victory as a chance to begin over and kickstart their season:
“We absolutely must see this as a rebirth. We knew it would be difficult, Torino don’t allow you to build moves cleanly with their high press, but we worked really hard both offensively and defensively
“We expected a difficult match, an opponent that makes plays hard, that makes you play little but we worked trying to find some holes, then the goal unlocked things for us and things were better to see and we were better than at the beginning of the match. It was needed.
“The goal celebration? I felt pain celebrating! . We work every day to get results and we didn’t succeed. To win the Champions League again would be a good result, but there are so many games to go. It’s an important victory but we must give continuity.
“The recent form? I think the coach has to analyse the team’s performance and understand where to start from. We had conceded four goals per game and something was missing. The characteristics to play in another way are there, but I’m not interested in playing with a 3 or 4-man defence… We have to regain brilliance and start from a more solid defensive phase.
Then we’ll go back to playing with four when we have better conditions, but the important thing is to have this spirit. It’s the first step that will have to continue this growth of ours.
“Leao? Rafa is a strange player. I always thought that by putting him wide I was making it easier for him, but in these days, where I tried him out, he said that it is his favourite position. But he wants and has to work on the pitch in that position. We’ll also see depending on the opponents.
“Giroud? Oli is very important. He’s a leader, but I think Milan have many important players.
“the formation? We’ll see, I have to see the condition of Tomori and Bennacer. We face teams that are very similar to us, we’ll see what strategies to adopt. The team has evolved from a tactical point of view.
“Results? The negative results are felt, you live the day-to-day, the week with tension and worry, with less serenity, but coaching such a responsible group… we cannot forget the support of the fans. The team is trying to get back to playing at certain levels.”
