Milan, Pioli: ‘We messed up our own lives. Equal difficult to accept’

It seemed like the right match to certify – once again – that Milan have a thousand ways and a thousand weapons to surprise their opponents. Are the Rossoneri the team that scores the most from open play in the league? Here’s a goal from a corner, moreover with a header, something that hasn’t happened in a lifetime. Does everyone expect goals from Giroud and Leao? Here Kalulu and Pobega tick in the scorer table. In short, against Roma everything seemed to be set up with serenity until the 87th minute, when a team leading by two goals shouldn’t eat their guts at the final whistle. The last few turns of the hand, on the other hand, have brought back even those defensive amnesias that have been evident since last summer. Because if Ibanez jumps on the first goal for the Giallorossi in total solitude, it is not admissible to repeat the script shortly thereafter, when Matic strikes without the mistake of marking and Abraham reiterates on goal with all the Rossoneri still watching.

Bitterness

—

On the other hand, it is known that Roma were fearsome on set pieces, but it is an awareness that the Devil was not enough to defend the fort. We will be eating our hands at Milanello in these hours, after having gone from a victory that would have allowed us to extend in one fell swoop over Inter, Roma and Lazio, to a second place arm in arm with Juve -7 from the top. “We messed up our own lives – Stefano Pioli summarized perfectly at the end of the match -. We needed to defend better in those situations, it’s difficult to accept because we had prepared well and played well. I will tell the team that we must continue to play like this. but also that the matches finish in the 95th minute. I had inserted players to increase the centimetres, but more attention was needed. A bitter taste remains in the mouth, even if we don’t look at Napoli, but only at ourselves. But they know they have to win a lot if we want to stay in the fight for the Scudetto”.

Excessive aggression

—

The Rossoneri coach recounts Vranckx’s foul which resulted in the free-kick that propitiated Roma’s draw: “I saw the malice and cunning of Dybala who sought the foul, and I saw Vranckx too aggressive. Then, when you give hope to the opponent, it is obvious that the opponent will try until the end. Compressed calendar? The team is fine, our problem is not preparation or physical condition. It is the final minutes that must be managed better. Renewals? Would I stop to talk about contracts and injuries, I see happy-go-lucky guys giving their all.”