The Rossoneri’s coach, speaking at a press conference, is certain: “We have acquired players in order to win all the matches.
Stefano Pioli doesn’t want to dwell on past lost derbies, instead, he wants to see an aggressive Milan, strong, and aware of its own qualities. In a press conference on the eve of the ‘derby della Madonnina‘ against Inter, he reiterated this: “The past is past; we are thinking about tomorrow because we have started well, and we want to continue like this. It’s a different Milan, but we know what to propose and how to deal with them,” the coach said. Then he added, “We will try to outperform them; every opportunity is right to demonstrate our quality.”
Are the players solely focused on tomorrow’s match? “Yes, absolutely, and it has to be that way. We are at the beginning of the season, we’ve started well, and we need to continue like this.”
Is Pioli curious to see the new Milan face this derby? “No, I was curious before the first game of the season because it was a debut, and we were coming from the pre-season preparations where many players had left. Today, I’m convinced of how the team wants to approach the match. I’m sure we’ll be able to put our game on the field.”
Is Giroud the new Ibrahimovic? “There’s only one Zlatan; it’s the team that has grown and worked in a certain way. There are important players in terms of personality and character, and Olivier is one of them.”
Has Milan closed the gap compared to the recent lost derbies? “I don’t care about the recent lost derbies; I only care about tomorrow. The past is the past; tomorrow is what matters. What interests me is that the team can find solutions to play our game and make it difficult for the opponents.”
How is Kjaer? “He’s fine, strong, and ready to play such an important match.”
Inter is in great form; are you concerned about the defense? “Our attackers haven’t scored as many goals for their national teams as theirs, so I hope we’ve kept some for the derby. You should always be concerned because any opponent is strong in Serie A.”
What are you afraid of seeing tomorrow? “Tomorrow, I want to see Milan as we’ve prepared for it, I want to see how we play our game, and I’m sure I’ll see it on the field. We will approach the game with the right attitude. We are not afraid of anyone.”
Did you sign any players in the transfer market with the exact intention of hurting Inter? “No, we bought players to improve the team’s level. We built a team to be as good as possible and win all possible matches.”
Why isn’t Leao among the Ballon d’Or top 30? “I haven’t thought about it, and we haven’t discussed it. He has grown a lot; he’s becoming dominant and decisive. He needs to think about that for tomorrow.”
For Milan, what changes when facing Calhanoglu and Thuram instead of Brozovic and Dzeko? “The characteristics of the players change, but not the way we play. They are strong and well-prepared; they will try to make it difficult for us by changing positions and communicating marking movements. We need to be cautious.”
Is Caldara part of the group tomorrow? “He has an ankle problem, and I think he won’t be available for quite some time.”
How are you managing your squad? “We are very attentive to the players, given that I’ve known them over the years. We have a very tough schedule in the next 21 days, but right now, we only think about the derby, then from Sunday on to Newcastle.”
Is Inter more aware in recent derbies than Milan? “None of us thinks about last year’s derbies; we only think about winning tomorrow and doing well. That’s our mentality. We’ve prepared well; then, at the end of the match, I’ll be able to say if we were better or not. We will approach the game with the right mentallity, as a group that has always been used to big games like these.”
Could the tactical innovations surprise Inter? “There are no old or new players; there’s only one Milan. There’s a Milan that trains and plays together. Sooner or later doesn’t matter; the derby always counts three points, and we play to win them. Tomorrow we will play to win.”
