Pioli – We have improved in quality, now we have to put in more effort

After Thursday’s Europa League outing, we return to Serie A. There’s no time to rest for Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan side, who take on Roma at San Siro. The Giallorossi are a tough opponent, though they come to Milan with the Rossoneri in red-hot form, fresh from their win in the Derby. Three points will be essential to strengthen their grip on top spot and to further bolster the convictions of a group in constant growth. Stefano Pioli knows this full well. Ahead of the game, he gave his usual press conference at Milanello.

AC MILAN V ROMA
“It’s an important match, also with the league table in mind. We’ve started well and want to continue in this manner. This will be a tough test, and we want to pass it. We’re only focused on ourselves and are taking it one game at a time. We’ll be up against a strong side who have won five out of their last six away fixtures. Fonseca did really well during his first season in Italy and demonstrated that he has some excellent ideas. They’ve now added some excellent players to their squad, like Kumbulla and Pedro for example. Like us, Roma are an ambitious team, and it shouldn’t be forgotten that they finished ahead of us last season. We need to approach the game in an excellent manner and play with determination.”

THE TEAM
“We needed to raise the competition levels within the squad, and the Club did well to reinforce the team with young players who possess quality. So far, we’ve managed to deal with the many absences we’ve had, and it’s important to have many starters in the squad. We need everyone’s contribution: it’s vital to choose the best starting line-up, but the five substitutions that are available to us and the players we have on the bench are both hugely important aspects in every game. Never before has it been possible to change games to such an extent while they are taking place. We can still improve from a collective, individual, tactical and technical point of view. We need to work on understanding certain moments during matches better, and we also need to improve our game management when we’re in front, as we were at Celtic Park in the second half.”