Pioli: 'Milan need clear ideas'

By Football Italia staff

Stefano Pioli wants Milan to “prove we’ve got clear ideas” in his debut against Lecce, but is tight-lipped on whether he’s starting Krzysztof Piatek.

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Marco Giampaolo was sacked after losing four of the opening seven games, so ex-Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina boss Pioli makes his debut against newly-promoted Lecce.

“We haven’t had many days to work together, but the important thing will be proving we’ve got clear ideas in tomorrow’s game,” said the Coach in his Press conference.

“We’ve got to get to know each other. My method is focused on the details, from recovery exercises to diet, all to bring us advantages on the field and let us play to the best of our abilities. I didn’t ask players what went wrong, just that we are starting a new journey together.

“I think the team needed ideas, knowing what positions to take and the intensity of the tempo, so that’s what we are working on.

“We abolished the pre-game training camp overnight stay in order to give players responsibility for their professional approach. After all, retreats aren’t what they used to be, now there’s no team bonding when everyone is on their phone.”

Pioli was asked why he accepted the Milan job just seven rounds into the campaign.

“I thought that I was going to a prestigious club with a great history, so it’s an honour to be here. If you are in charge of Milan, playing at San Siro must be added motivation rather than a worry.

“I feel that I am prepared for a job like this. I wasn’t 20 years ago, which is why I made the most of even the negative experiences in order to improve myself. I’ll be 54 years old tomorrow and I think I have the maturity to work at this level.”

Giampaolo tinkered with the tactics from 4-3-1-2 to 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, so what does Pioli have in mind, particularly for Lucas Paqueta, Rafael Leao, Krzysztof Piatek and Hakan Calhanoglu?

“I will decide my line-up this afternoon, although I tend to only announce it to the team in the morning, if our game kicks off late.

“I told Piatek to believe in himself. If we are at Milan, it means we’ve got quality and need to show that. Rafael Leao is more of a centre-forward than a wide attack, but he does have great potential and can give results straight away.

“Paqueta can be useful both going forward and when defending. Calhanoglu does better when pushing into the opposition half and causing problems for their defences.”

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