Milan coach Stefano Pioli concedes that Fiorentina were ‘better’ than them but insists that the team was not focused on the Champions League game against Spurs. The Rossoneri struggled to get started as La Viola dominated large spells of the match, eventually winning 2-1 with goals from Nicolas Gonzalez and Luka Jovic, with Theo Hernandez netting a late consolation.
Speaking with Sky Sport Italia (as quoted by Milannews), Pioli was left to rue his teams inability to make any impact in the first half of the match, but was optimistic when looking ahead to the match with Tottenham next week:
“We prepared for the match as if it was very important. In the first half Fiorentina did better than us in terms of quality and energy. In the second half we did better, despite the penalty and the chance to equalise. The first half we didn’t play well and this penalised us”.
Were the team thinking about London?
“No no, it was absolutely not that. Fiorentina played better than us, but not because we were thinking about Tottenham. We never thought about Tottenham. We had to do things better. It was a stoppage that we didn’t want.”
Will it be a different Milan in London?
“It will be a different game, a knockout game, because tonight’s game doesn’t count. These are two teams that will play at their best. Surely Milan will be ready.
Today is a special day with the memory of Astori…
“The public in Florence knows everything that happened and how beautiful Davide was. This match is intimately strong for me”.
Milan are not doing well away from home this year…
“It’s true, it’s a figure that penalises us a lot and it’s strange for the numbers we’ve always had. We have to do better because we have the qualities to do better than what we did tonight. We ran a lot, but not well.”
A comment on De Ketelaere’s performance?
“He did some good things, but it’s clear that our offensive phase was not as proactive and it’s difficult for the attackers to find space and time. He moved well, but the team could do more with movement without the ball.”
Do you have the team in mind for London?
“Yes yes, more or less. We’ll see how the team is. Bennacer has just returned, let’s see for Diaz as well. It will be a different game.”
