PIOLI: "A GOOD MOMENT, LEÃO IS VITAL"

Surprisers Bologna arrive at San Siro, with AC Milan wanting to keep their run of league wins going. On the eve of matchday 22 in Serie A, Coach Pioli spoke in the game's pre-match press conference at Milanello. These are the main statements from the gaffer ahead of this important game:

LOOKING AHEAD TO AC MILAN V BOLOGNA
"It's a tough game, Bologna play a good brand of football and have given problems to all the big teams in the league. They are a complete team; they can keep possession and also go long; we'll need to be aware of their forward runners, too. A win to keep our postive winning streak going would be significant and very important. Zirkzee is young, I followed him in the past, and you could see he had potential then. Now, he is a complete player; he has great technical skills and is a focal point of their team. Defensively, we will have to keep a watchful eye on him".

THE TEAM
"We're in a good moment mentally thanks to a succession of wins. We live for positive results, things can change in an instant, and in every season there are highs and lows. We need to take each game as it comes. We're not currently in the fight for the Scudetto. We want to try and be competitive both in the league and in Europe. We're working very hard at an individual level. With the ball, we are solid: one of our objectives is to have more control of the game when defending a lead. We have scored the most number of times in the first half, which means we start games in the right manner, and we also have players coming off the bench scoring many times, another sign of motivation and strength within the squad."

RACISM
"Well done to Udinese for acting in an exceptional way. Certain episodes need to be acted upon, there needs to be punishment for those who do certain things: it's a moment to react strongly. Maignan has been calm, strong and proud of the support received after what happened in Udine".

INDIVIDUALS
"We have better attacking stats than last year and that's also a great credit to Leão, who isn't scoring much but is contributing important things to the team: assists, his play. I see significant improvement in him compared to before; he's more involved in the game. We expect too much from him at times... I love Rafa and the way he is: he is an artist, a genius capable of listening, which is a vital element. Jović is physically in good shape; he's happy, has the quality and I trust him. Both Jović and Okafor can partner Giroud up front. Terracciano is settling in well; he's been working as a full-back. Gabbia has come back calmly and more mature; he's looking very strong and reliable. I like the characteristics of Adli and Reijnders, who get into some great positions on and off the ball. Loftus-Cheek is getting stronger physically, so far with us, he's always operated in the hole".

MIHAJLOVIĆ AND RIVA
"Mihajlović deserves to be remembered; he was a great coach and an outstanding human being that everyone still misses. A champion from past times will also be missed too in Gigi Riva".

THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF SINNER
"I saw the game. He's done something incredible, beating the world number one in that way... talent but also sacrifice, he's at the top of the game. We're trying to get there, and we are alike in our ambitions and mentality to always look for improvements".

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