Milan coach Pioli today accepted an interview with Sky Sports Italia, where he talked about Milan players such as de Caitraere, Leo, Teo and Giroux, as well as the comparison between Maradona and Lionel Messi.
Speaking of Milan’s training in Dubai:
“this is a very important 10 days, after half a month’s rest, we have returned to our daily work, this training can refocus the team, we have set a goal for ourselves. We hope to restart the second half of the league in a clearer and more accurate way, we need to find the right rhythm and now all the players are in a very good state of mind.”
Speaking of Milan’s goals for this season:
“I still believe in the strength of the players, as a whole, we are a strong and competitive team and we will try our best to win every game because Milan are at a high level, although we know that the competitors are also very strong, especially Naples has incredible strength.”
“if Napoli continue to play like this and they can score more than 100 points this season, then we can only congratulate the opponents, but I think Milan’s goal is still to win the title. Although you are very interested in the transfer topic, we will also have a lot of injured people recovering from January. ”
Speaking of the Champions League:
“the Champions League is our home, if you coach AC Milan, you can’t help but set the goal to be the protagonist in the Champions League. If we can improve, we can have a chance to break into the next round and we have to find a way to play against Tottenham.”
“is it harder to win the league or the UEFA Champions League? Usually the strongest team wins the league, but the Champions League requires not only strength but also luck. ”
When it comes to de Ketlare’s state:
“I think the most important thing for young players is to lay a good foundation, obviously Tonali and Leo and others have great potential, but the most difficult part is: you need to predict when they will complete the transformation, to help them reach this level, this also applies to de Caitrae, none of us doubt his strength or potential, now all we have to do is to help him complete the transformation.”
“appearance tends to be deceptive. De Ketlare is a simple, calm boy. He is obviously under some unavoidable pressure, which he may have never encountered before, but this is part of the growth of players. The psychological growth of young players is particularly important, while technology is secondary.”
Speaking of Leo:
“he came to Dubai to say hello to us, which made everyone very happy and proved that Leo got along very well with his teammates. Milan is a diversified whole, there are players from all over the world, although they have different cultures and habits, but they have found a way to get along well. ”
“Leo is very happy, easygoing and calm. I think his current attitude is very positive. When I see the players in this state, I will be very satisfied, which will be very good for the future of the team. Rafael Benitez has made incredible growth at Milan and as he matures, he can make more progress, so I would advise him to stay and he knows it is easiest for him to grow up with us. ”
Speaking of Ibrahimovic:
“I think he has superhuman wisdom, when Zlatan first joined, no one thought Milan could win the league, and Ibrahimovic knew how to help the team, to be tough when it was time to be tough, to understand when it was time to understand, he was always hungry, that was his mindset and his source of strength.”
“We all hope that Ibrahimovic can return to the pitch as soon as possible, he will always try his best to get more returns, when he remains focused, he will sprint at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour and will not stop until he achieves his goal.”
When it comes to the World Cup performances of Special Olympics and Giroux:
“I have always supported Special Olympics and Giroux because everyone knows what it means for a player to win the World Cup. Giroux has already won once, and Special Olympics is playing for the national team for the first time in an international tournament and he played very well.”
“obviously it’s not easy to lose in the final, but I talked to both of them last night and they have to be proud of the path they’ve taken, and we think so, Giroux has proved himself to be a champion, both on and off the pitch, and Teo has proved what Maldini once said: he is becoming the strongest left-back in the world.”
On the topic of comparison between Messi and Maradona:
“there are three legends in football, Pele, Maradona and Lionel Messi. Although they belong to different times, they are all legendary players. I can’t give a specific ranking.”