PIOLI: "WE MUST REDEEM OURSELVES STRAIGHT AWAY"

The second half of the Serie A campaign gets underway on Matchday 20 that sees a big game, important for the table and our ambitions. The Rossoneri will host Roma at San Siro on Sunday 14 January at 20:45 CET, and Coach Pioli has spoken on the ideas of the game in a press conference on the eve of the clash. This is what he had to say:

AHEAD OF AC MILAN V ROMA
"We need to redeem ourselves straight away, we owe it to ourselves and the fans. We are AC Milan, the criticisms are part of the game: from the first day, I have always tried to provide my players with the best conditions to express themselves. The second half of the season begins, and we need to do better than we have done so far, which I think could secure a third-place finish; if something else happens, we will see, we need to do big things and this won't depend on us alone. We need to try and floor it. I expect an open and combative game, we need to put in a high-level performance to improve our numbers regarding direct confrontations. Roma is an expert, physical and organised, they concede little, know how to find a spark in attack and are strong in dead-ball situations. Mourinho is a top manager, before certain games you have to praise the opposition…".

SQUAD AND SEASON
"I have spoken with the squad, it was an effective meeting. Now we will throw ourselves back into the league before thinking of the Europa League. We want to improve our season. We are doing well physically, the stats were good against Atalanta. Exiting the Coppa Italia after the Champions League was disappointing, it has to become a source of determination to play with more energy. One thing that needs to be improved: conceding less, especially when we have a numerical advantage because this means we have lacked organisation and communication. It is not a problem of the defence, but of the defensive approach of the whole squad: we need to pay more attention".

CARDINALE AT SAN SIRO
"It's good to have Cardinale at San Siro. An owner's presence is always a positive push, I always speak with the management present at Milanello".

INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS
"Hernández is playing really well in the centre of defence, he also provided an assist for the goal in the Coppa Italia, he will definitely play, but we'll see for the position. Simić is doing well and has half-integrated into the squad, if he has played less recently it is because I have made other choices based on the positions we wanted to cover. Terraciano is working as a fullback, he could also play since we haven't got Florenzi back in the side".

THE TRANSFER MARKET
"We have gained Gabbia and Terraciano, but on a numerical level we are missing a defender, the club is working to fill this gap".

REFEREEING CONTROVERSY
"I have a lot of respect for Rocchi. All of us need to lower the tone, whoever makes a mistake should be punished. There has to be a calmer confrontation. On the other hand, we're asking for coherence and uniformity in their decisions".

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