PIOLI: "WE NEED GAMES LIKE THESE"

We remain at San Siro, but with a change in competition. AC Milan and Inter meet once again a little less than a month after their previous Derby encounter, which was won thanks to Giroud's brace. This time, it's the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. It's a crucial game, and Coach Pioli talked about it in his pre-match press conference at 12:00 CET. 

THE CROWD AND MATCH PREPARATIONS
"The team have prepared for an important game in an attentive fashion. It’s only the first leg, but, with the fans behind us, starting well would be positive."

MOVING ON FROM AC MILAN V UDINESE
"Your head is the decisive factor: it allows you to stay composed and focused on what is happening in the game. We’ve reached a decisive stage of the season; from now until the end, we’ll learn our fate. We’ve done fantastically well in the past two years. Now, what we do from tomorrow onwards will be the only thing that counters. We can do much better than what we’ve displayed in our recent outings. We need to have the strength, maturity and self-awareness to reap the benefits of all that we’ve sown. The last step is missing; it’s the most difficult one to make, but I have confidence in my players."

INTER’S CURRENT FORM
"The season has been difficult for every team, and every side will go through a spell where their condition is less than ideal. The league is very balanced, and it’s not possible to make predictions about tomorrow because it’s a Derby. As always, I believe that individual duels will be key in deciding the outcome."

THE UPCOMING WEEK
"Every match is very important, but this week won’t decide the fate of our season. There will be a return leg after tomorrow’s game and ten league fixtures will remain after Napoli. Right now, we need these games."

AC MILAN AND WINNING
"My players need to be convinced that they can win because they possess quality. We need to play every game with the confidence that we can emerge victorious. There’s still a long way to go in the league, but we’re currently focused on tomorrow’s game."

DROPPED POINTS
"We’ve had some difficulties. We haven’t been able to kill off matches and dominate certain types of games more. These are two mistakes that we’ve paid the price for."

ATTITUDE
"We need a more aggressive and sustained mental attitude to win matches. Our strength lies in playing at a high tempo, but we’re trying to grow in terms of our game management. We don’t, however, want to stop looking forward and attacking. There’s been a drop in quality in our last two matches."

POSSIBLE SELECTIONS
"I’ve made evaluations over the last few games. Krunić and Florenzi have my full confidence and are available to play. I’m fortunate to have two strong full-backs in Florenzi and Calabria. I’m very happy with how Alessandro has performed. It remains to be seen who I select."

THE IMPACT OF THE DERBY
"A Derby always brings with it plenty of emotions. Tomorrow’s game is important in terms of reaching the final and also gaining confidence and enthusiasm with the league in mind."

IBRA’S CONDITION
"Zlatan is doing a bit better, but it’s a situation that needs to be assessed on a daily basis. I don’t know if he’ll be available for the Napoli match."

INDIVIDUALS
"Kessie is scoring fewer goals but is still doing important work off the ball. Saelemaekers can perform well in various roles but needs to display more quality in potentially decisive situations. Often, we need to be quicker with our crossing in order to help Giroud."

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