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Stefano Pioli
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli has highlighted the importance of having substitutes and praised the impact of Ante Rebic after the Rossoneri’s 2-0 win over Roma.

It was a game bereft of quality and composure for the most part, and it was perhaps fitting that Rebic scored such a scrappy opening goal, thundering home from inside the area after hitting the post initially.

The second goal came inside the final two minutes of normal time from the penalty spot as Theo Hernandez was chopped down chasing a loose ball; Hakan Calhanoglu stepping up to thump the spot kick in and kill the game off.


The result moves Milan seventh in the table and level with Napoli once again, six points behind Roma in fifth.

After the game Pioli spoke to DAZN, and his words were transcribed by MilanNews as he began by discussing the importance of substitutions.

“The substitutions from here to the end will be very important, it is very hot, it is unthinkable to play at an intense pace with the starting eleven,” he said.

“Playing at this time is difficult. All the players have the right attitude. We won the game deservedly because we were a team, even with some mistakes, we had been waiting for a big win for a long time, now we have to recover energy.”

It is Milan’s first win against a side in the current top six this season and only the second time they have picked up points, the other being the 1-1 draw at home against Napoli.

“The results were bad but not the performances, only with Atalanta were we below our possibilities, this victory gives us morale but the next challenge is always the most important.”


On bringing off Rebic just after his goal, Pioli added: “I would have waited a few more minutes but he asked to come off because he couldn’t take it anymore, he always attacked in deep, it was an important focal point. I prefer that the players tell me to if they can’t continue.

“Rebic can certainly improve, he is not only physically strong but he also has technical skills. He has to get used to it, I think he is more of a first or second striker rather than a winger. He has quality, if he keeps this attitude he can absolutely do well.”

On Kjaer: “In another situation he probably would not have played, he is intelligent and has responsibility. It is a signing that has given us an additional contribution. We are a very young team and only with young people is it difficult, Kjaer was definitely helpful.”

On Paquetà: “The players are used to my incitements and my reproaches, Paquetà entered well, he immediately lost a bad ball but then he found himself ready.

“He did a good job, we need everyone. The calendar is difficult , all the races will be fought, we must grit our teeth and have a good finale to the season.”
 
Red Bull Salzburg sporting director has denied receiving an offer from Paris Saint-Germain for reported AC Milan target Dominik Szoboszlai.

We reported on Tuesday via Vito Angele that Szoboszlai is on Rangnick’s wish list and the German has received reassurances from the club. The Rossoneri have already been in contact with the agent, collecting the player’s approval.

In the coming days, the first official offer will be presented to the Austrian side, meaning Szoboszlai could be the second to sign after Pierre Kalulu.

Freund spoke to Sky Austria about the future of the 19-year-old, and denied having received an offer.

“I can deny it, PSG did not contact us for Dominik Szoboszlai,” he said.
“No club has actively contacted us yet. But if he continues to play like that, I can imagine that the big clubs in Europe could be interested in him
 
After the game Romagnoli spoke to DAZN about the victory and began by discussing just how the Rossoneri came out on top.

“Nothing is simple in Serie A, we were good at facing a very strong Roma. We were good at managing the rhythms and giving them almost nothing,” he said (via MilanNews).

“The important thing is to work together, now it is important not to give up and make one last effort.”

Romagnoli has formed an effective centre-back partnership with Simon Kjaer, who has been nothing short of exceptional since his arrival from Sevilla in January.


“He is a great player, but at Milan we are all strong and I feel good with everyone. The important thing is to always play with concentration.”

Finally on the atmosphere at Milanello, he added: “We have to prepare the game well for the game against SPAL, we have to reset everything and think game by game.”
 
After the game Romagnoli spoke to DAZN about the victory and began by discussing just how the Rossoneri came out on top.

“Nothing is simple in Serie A, we were good at facing a very strong Roma. We were good at managing the rhythms and giving them almost nothing,” he said (via MilanNews).

“The important thing is to work together, now it is important not to give up and make one last effort.”

Romagnoli has formed an effective centre-back partnership with Simon Kjaer, who has been nothing short of exceptional since his arrival from Sevilla in January.


“He is a great player, but at Milan we are all strong and I feel good with everyone. The important thing is to always play with concentration.”

Finally on the atmosphere at Milanello, he added: “We have to prepare the game well for the game against SPAL, we have to reset everything and think game by game.”
 
📊 Simon Kjaer 🆚 Roma

💪 4 clearances
🚫 2 shots blocked
☝ 1 interception
0⃣ 0 dribbled past
⛔ 0 errors
✅ 91% passing accuracy
🔘 8/11 long passes completed

🇩🇰 Our Danish rock. ❤️️🖤 https://t.co/KfpFtim2X1
 
*Saelemaekers reflects on Milan’s ‘difficult’ win vs. Roma; comments on favoured position*

There were a few eyebrows raised when Alexis Saelemaekers came on early in the second half along with Lucas Paqueta in place of Samu Castillejo and Giacomo Bonaventura respectively.

However, the Belgian did well with an endeavouring and dynamic display out wide on the right, something that certainly doesn’t harm his chances of a permanent stay given he is only on loan until the end of the campaign from Anderlecht.

After the game he spoke to MilanTV, with MilanNews transcribing his thoughts on the vital win.

“Today everyone gave 100% on the pitch, we are very happy with the result. It was a difficult game, until 60 minutes we pushed a lot and in the end we managed to unlock the game and we are very happy,” he said.

Was playing better in the second half a physical or mental issue?

“Both. We pushed to the end to achieve the result.”


“I feel very comfortable with my team-mates, I am very happy with them.”

On his favoured role, he added: “I don’t have a favourite role, I try to do my best wherever the coach puts me to help the team.”
 
Romagnoli vs Roma:

Passes: 92
PA: 94%
Interception: 3
Clearances: 4
Aerials won: 3
 
#ACMilan have scored 10 games in a row in Serie A. The last time the Rossoneri had a longer streak was back in October 2018, when they reached 11 games.

️⚽️🔴⚫️ https://t.co/f5RZ3XHQQQ
 
"Yes, I read what Chiellini said about me in his biography. My golden ball in 2004 was more than deserved, unlike that of Nedved who received it after winning a very trivial Serie A in 2003.
And we all know what Moggi's Juventus did in those years in Italy.

I laugh when the newspapers ask why Italy did not qualify for the World Cup, but the answer is very simple: they went from players of the caliber of Maldini to mediocre ones like Chiellini. At that time he would have played in Serie B. And only a year if he did it. (laughs)

But after all, do we really have to talk about someone who in his autobiography spoke much more about others than about his life and his trophies? Probably if he hadn't spoken badly of every player mentioned in his book, nobody would have read it. He's definitely better at marketing than playing football."

Andrij Shevchenko.
 
AC Milan legend Massimo Ambrosini has highlighted three players that his former club must build around in the future.

Ambrosini made well over 300 appearances for Milan during an 18-year spell at the club, and we took a look back at his exceptional performance in the 2007 Champions League final earlier this year.


He won several titles with the Rossoneri and captained the side from 2009 to 2013 following Paolo Maldini’s retirement, and he still keeps up with how his old side are getting along.

While it looks like being another season without a top four finish for Milan, Ambrosini has picked out some positives from the current core of players.

“Theo Hernandez has shown that he can stay in this AC Milan. Even after a difficult start, Bennacer has managed to demonstrate great things,” he told Sky Italia (via MilanNews).

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“Leao has yet to prove much, he is an interesting surprise while Rebic is definitely an important player but he carry keep all the weight of the attack on his shoulders.”

Ambrosini also talked about what the Rossoneri’s business could look like, insisting that if owners Elliott Management Corporation have a plan then they should stick to it.

“Paquetà could be sacrificed. Milan has some bases on which to start again and, in a certain sense, they must do so with conscience and according to the dictates of the management and the technical guide.”
 
Agent Mikkel Beck has claimed Simon Kjaer ‘pictures a future’ at Milan, who have 'reached an agreement' with Sevilla to extend the loan until August.


The Dane arrived in January and quickly established himself as an important member of Stefano Pioli’s side.

Ant his agent, Beck, has now confirmed that the former Atalanta defender wants to continue at San Siro beyond this season, confirming an agreement between Milan and Sevilla for the remainder of the campaign.

“Milan and Sevilla have reached an agreement to extend the loan with an option to buy until the end of the season,” Beck told Sport Mediaset.

“Kjaer pictures his future at Milan and the coronavirus situation has not changed his mind. He is doing a fantastic job with the Rossoneri, through some excellent performances and achieving good results.

“The team have improved since he arrived in January and the fans welcomed him in an extraordinary way.”

Milan will have to pay €3.5m to make the deal permanent ahead of the 2020-21 season., who have 'reached an agreement' with Sevilla to extend the loan until August.


The Dane arrived in January and quickly established himself as an important member of Stefano Pioli’s side.

Ant his agent, Beck, has now confirmed that the former Atalanta defender wants to continue at San Siro beyond this season, confirming an agreement between Milan and Sevilla for the remainder of the campaign.

“Milan and Sevilla have reached an agreement to extend the loan with an option to buy until the end of the season,” Beck told Sport Mediaset.

“Kjaer pictures his future at Milan and the coronavirus situation has not changed his mind. He is doing a fantastic job with the Rossoneri, through some excellent performances and achieving good results.

“The team have improved since he arrived in January and the fans welcomed him in an extraordinary way.”

Milan will have to pay €3.5m to make the deal permanent ahead of the 2020-21 season.
 
Reports this morning claim Milan are so impressed with Ante Rebic that they want to sign him outright from Eintracht Frankfurt a year early.


Rebic arrived from Eintracht on a two-year loan at the end of the 2019 summer transfer window, exchanging clubs with Andre Silva.

He initially struggled for game time at Milan but has not looked back since breaking into their starting XI, with nine goals in 21 appearances.

Now, Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera state Rossoneri CEO Ivan Gazidis is ready to bring forward a permanent deal for the 26-year-old.

The Diavolo do not have an option to buy, although Il Corriere expects an offer of €25-30m to be enough, while incoming chief Ralf Rangnick is said to be ‘absolutely in favour’ of keeping Rebic.

His current €3m salary exceeds Milan’s new salary cap of €2.5m, but they could make him an exception, as in the case of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Fiorentina will be watching on with great interest, given they are entitled to 30-50 percent of any sale.
 
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: ALEXIS SAELEMAEKERS

The Belgian player has signed a contract until 30 June 2024

AC Milan announces having exercised the option to buy Alexis Saelemaekers on a permanent basis. The Belgian player has signed a contract with the Club until 30 June 2024.
 
Stefano Pioli feels Milan were ‘too hasty in the final third’ after SPAL went down to 10 men, only scraping a last-gasp equaliser with an own goal.

Mattia Valoti had turned in after a corner and Sergio Floccari scored a stunner from distance, but despite dominating the game against 10 men for an hour, it took a stoppage-time own goal to get a point after Rafael Leao’s effort.

“It was a step backwards in terms of result, because we wanted to continue the winning run, but unfortunately we conceded on a set play and that goal from Floccari. Then when SPAL went down to 10 men, we got hasty and didn’t realise we had all the time in the world to turn this around.


“We weren’t sharp enough in front of goal, we were too hurried and hasty in the final third,” Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was the right approach, but we can do much better in terms of technique and precision. I thought Lucas Paqueta had a good game. He needs to be more decisive, but he has the quality to be a decisive player. Until he becomes a player who can win games for you, it means I still have work to do with him.”

The Rossoneri are now just one point clear of Hellas Verona and have a run of fixtures coming up against Lazio, Juventus and Napoli.

“These are three difficult, but also exciting games, as we have the quality to hurt these teams. I hope at the end of the season, our position will be better than seventh place, because we are not far off Napoli and Roma. We’re still missing that something which allows us to win the games we ought to be winning.”

Pioli was asked about the constant speculation on Ralf Rangnick taking over next season.

“I am working with passion and professionalism, because I love these players. I am not thinking about another coach, we’ll see what happens, but I am within this situation now and want to focus on the present.

“I am not anxious, nor do I feel that I am a sacrificial lamb. I am very proud to be the coach of Milan and I do this job with passion.”
 
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