GIAMPAOLO: "WE'RE AHEAD OF EXPECTATIONS"

Following the second friendly of the 2019 ICC which finished AC Milan 0-1 Benfica, Marco Giampaolo spoke at the post-match press conference inside the Gilette Stadium in Foxborough. Here was his analysis from straight after the match.

THE MATCH AND PERFORMANCE
"Today, the result doesn't say anything because it doesn't show the attitude that the team had. For as long as that attitude was on show, I liked what I saw from the team. In terms of how we played, this isn't a defeat. We played in attack, looking to dominate the play. The guys did very well and went beyond my expectations. This is the first piece, we did a lot of things better compared to the first match, both on and off the ball."

ATTACK AND DEFENCE
"A look of work is needed. The team needs to get used to defending in a different way and it takes time to bring all the different mechanisms together. We created a lot in attack, I've kept track of all the chances created and I’m not worried that we haven't scored. We'll look at our mistakes and fix them to get better."

GENERAL THOUGHTS
"The team has worked very well and I'm happy. The next games will help us to improve our conditioning, chemistry and game management. We need to integrate the players who aren't here now as best we can. I repeat, the team is further forward than I expected because the players have great quality. They understand, take things on and easily apply what I ask. I liked what I saw from Borini, Biglia and Calhanoglu and I liked the midfield in general."

SEE THE GALLERY FROM AC MILAN v BENFICA

Rade Krunić spoke to Milan TV:

"I'm very happy with my debut, it's an honour to wear this shirt. I'm still not at my best but I feel quite good it won't take much before you see me at 100%. This is a shirt that weighs on you with all the responsibility, I was a bit agitated before but now that I went out onto the pitch it's freed up my mind and I can play in a greater sense of calm and make my contribution. I know how the Coach wants the team to play, the team is taking on his ideas. In the first half, we had various chances and should have taken them better. We're on the right road and will improve over time. I've fit in very well, the guys are all fantastic. Usually, I hang around with Strinic but I've also spent a lot of time with Calhanoglu. We're both central midfielders and therefore we need to be in competition for a starting spot but this doesn't harm our relationship."

READ THE MATCH REPORT FROM AC MILAN v BENFICA

Pepe Reina also spoke to the Club Channel:

"We're improving, we’re looking to take on the Coach's ideas and we're trying to put them into practice during every game. Today, we put in a quality performance and it’s just a shame about the result but how we played is the important thing. It's important for us all to get minutes in our legs at this time, get up to speed to improve, gain confidence and play like how the Coach asks. I like to play further away from my goal and have a defence that presses a lot. We're quite clear about how the Coach thinks about playing. We’ll certainly have to fix some things but that’s normal."

The official PUMA match kits for the 2019/20 season are available in the AC Milan Online Store!