AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli reveals why his team slept at training ground after Coppa Italia exit
- Seb Sternik
- 13 January 2023
Stefano Pioli asked his players to sleep at Milanello following AC Milan’s last-16 Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Torino.
The 1-0 extra-time defeat ended Milan's hopes of a first Italian cup triumph since 2003.
Looking back at the result, Pioli told the club's website: "I saw will and determination in the players, in the last few games we did not achieve the results we deserved. I saw a desire to do something more and to learn from our mistakes.
"I asked the team to sleep at Milanello after the defeat against Torino because when there's something wrong I find it hard to wait for the next day, I preferred to immediately explain the things we have to do better".
Milan are winless in consecutive games following an earlier draw with AS Roma.
Pioli's men are currently third in Serie A and seven points adrift of league leaders Napoli.
The manager added: "We are disappointed and regret that we didn't get the results we wanted in both matches, in both games we were in control: it's not a question of second balls or who took over.
"Attention, determination and quality are the factors that must lead us to win these games. We lacked clarity, we were frantic, shooting a lot and hitting the target little.
"We have to raise the level of our performance from the point of view of technical quality and decision making."
This Saturday, I Rossoneri will be looking to return to winning ways when they travel to Lecce.
"It will be a very difficult match because they are very confident, they are doing well on the pitch, mentally and physically," added Pioli.
"I think it's quite normal that there is a more critical eye towards us, we won the Scudetto and showed our quality. We want to improve: for the last few performances the criticism is fair.
"The season is still long and the league does not end after this match. The Super Cup is a very important goal and is a separate matter from the league. Let's not forget how we won the Scudetto last year, winning so many points from February."
