Milan – Sampdoria, Pioli in the press conference

Now that the Champions League dream has turned into a rude awakening, we’re back – seriously – to square one. And that fourth place has been, is and always will be the unavoidable goal of the season. Around this passes the boundary between the uncomfortable and comfortable season. Because the semi-finals of the Champions League was a big unexpected party, but the road never to the Scudetto is weighing on the year at the moment, a badly lost Super Cup and an unhealthy exit from the scene in the first term. from the Italian Cup. This is why qualification to the next UEFA Champions League becomes crucial. From a mathematical and financial point of view clearly. “The real disappointment will not be in the Champions League next year,” Pioli said after the second leg in the Euro derby.

Discomfort

–

A concept that is also repeated on the eve of Sampdoria: “The Champions League is clearly the goal. Seasonal budgets are suspended until we understand how the year will end, and going to the Champions League is very important – explains the Rossoneri coach -. We are behind where we would like to be, and therefore A lot of determination and focus is needed. In these three games we have the chance to show who we are, playing for Milan. The tears we had, we shed them all. It’s fortunate for me to be able to play right away. The disappointment is huge because the goal was amazing. We were all hoping We could do better, there was frustration and it took a little bit longer to get over it but now we have to act like the great team we are.In these three years we’ve had great results so the expectations towards us are high.It still could be It’s either a high-scoring season or a little disappointing.”

flaw

–

There are not a few who believe Milan, who nearly reached the bottom of the Champions League, wasted vital energy in fourth place. Indeed, the question Pioli asks is: “Was it worth it?”. There is no doubt: “Of course it was worth it. This season we learned things that we didn’t learn last year. All the experiences that will help us grow even more.” However, the growth must also happen in the last two weeks, because Diavolo has obvious shortcomings, such as the three-match absence of goals. “With Inter the difference was in the first half of the two matches. In the first leg we didn’t play well, in the second leg we had three chances but we didn’t score. Our fault was not being able to score. In general, this is our most important defect: having We finished with very little compared to the offensive mass produced. The original sin is that we messed up in the last quarter of the field. The other limitation is that we struggle to bring home the sloppy games, the ones where we may not be playing at high technical levels.” Then there will be another obvious drawback, which is the difficulty in obtaining the three points with the middle and low ranking teams. “It’s an issue that we’ve evaluated and we’re evaluating, in fact we have a lot of problems with this kind of match.”

Ratings

–

As usual, only Pioli has the game against Sampdoria and thus remains vague when it comes to flopping the summer transfer market and what could happen to many players from June onwards. “Market options have been shared with ownership and management, reflecting what we thought was necessary. At the end of the season we will try to assess all situations, even those where we were wrong. There are three games worth a lot for everyone, and then it will be time to make all the assessments.” On Ibrahimovic for example, who will try to come back straight into the last corner against Verona. “I very much hope so, but to this day I still don’t have an answer.” Meanwhile, AC Milan has announced that it will compensate all fans who will not be able to go to San Siro tomorrow due to flooding in Emilia-Romagna. Pioli, who was born there in Emilia, embraces his compatriots: “A great wish and good luck to all the people who are suffering and suffering from this difficult situation, hoping that everything will be resolved as quickly as possible.”