Milan boss Stefano Pioli says his team took the advantage in their first-leg Europa League tie with Rennes, but insists qualification is not guaranteed yet. The Rossoneri ran out 3-0 winners at the San Siro, with goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and and Rafael Leao putting them firmly in charge of the tie. Speaking post-game, Pioli analysed the game and explained where he saw positives in the performance:
How do you assess the performance?
“I think it’s useless to talk about the Champions League any longer. Since the disappointment of the elimination we have set ourselves an objective, which is to do our best. Tonight’s match wasn’t easy, they’re doing well on the pitch. They were in a great moment in form. We took the advantage we wanted, but it’s not over yet.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was decisive again…
“He had some physical problems and was playing without training. He has significant physical power which he must be well to exploit. He can also give us a lot of satisfaction in terms of scoring.
“I found him to be more attacking and with even more quality. I saw him as a box-to-box player, but not with all this quality and physicality. He reminds me of Milinkovic-Savic, I’m happy for him because he’s really amazing.”
Rafael Leao returned to scoring…
“It’s normal for someone to miss out on goals, but I’ve always seen him calm and happy. Even when he didn’t score he was always present. We would like him to be inside the area more, but he’s doing it more. The important thing is is that the team wins and he has always been a protagonist in the team’s victories.
“Leao will always look for fun and aesthetics because he is a player like that. But he knows well what he needs to improve in. He must always try one-on-one. His improvement must lead him to be more attacking, to be more in the area and therefore score more goals.”
How would you judge Milan’s moment?
“It’s a good moment, but in football you should never relax. We’re doing well in 2024. Sunday will be difficult, but we’re in good spirits. We have to continue like this.”
