Thursday, March 28, 2024

If you hit one player, you hit us all – AC Milan boss Pioli defends struggling Suso

SoccerNews in Serie A 26 Oct 2019

97 Views

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has defended out-of-form forward Suso and urged his players to ignore the “hysteria” surrounding their draw with Lecce last time out.

Marco Calderoni scored a stunning late equaliser for strugglers Lecce to earn a 2-2 draw and deny Pioli victory in his first match at San Siro since succeeding Marco Giampaolo.

Suso has one goal and no assists from eight league starts this term and has come in for criticism during Milan’s disappointing run, but Pioli has offered support to the Spain international.

“We won’t be part of any social or media pillory of our players. We are united, the objective is to be a team and fight for the results together,” Pioli said at Saturday’s news conference.

“If you hit one player, you hit us all, you hit me and you hit Milan. We have to be positive and not let ourselves get caught up in hysteria.

“We’ve got to prove ourselves in every match and learn from the Lecce game where we should have been more concentrated. It’s not just about players being young or inexperienced, but the way we interpret the matches.”

Milan have won just one of their last five matches and are in the bottom half of Serie A, three points adrift of Sunday’s opponents Roma.

Pioli is anticipating a difficult match at Stadio Olimpico and acknowledged his other attacking players will have to step things up.

“We are up against a Roma side that have lost only one game this season,” he said. “I expect them to be determined and we need to match them on that level.

“I expect Lucas Paqueta to be more enterprising on the ball and create more danger going forward. I liked the way [Hakan] Calhanoglu approached last week’s game, not just the goal he scored.”

Asked if Suso will retain his place in the starting line-up, Pioli said: “The best possible team for the game will play tomorrow. That is all I can tell you. You can read the XI when the time comes.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SoccerNews

Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.

You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

More More
Top