GIAMPAOLO: "LET'S RESPOND WITH HEADS HELD HIGH"

A few days on from the derby, the side will have an immediate chance to respond on Thursday night. On Wednesday at Milanello, Marco Giampaolo announced his squad ahead of the trip to face Torino. This was what he had to say during the press conference that was shown live on the AC Milan Official App, Facebook and Milan TV before the matchday five fixture in Serie A.

ON TORINO v AC MILAN
“Torino are a difficult side to face, they’re physically strong with good individuals. It will be a tough match, but we have to think about ourselves regardless of that and play at our best. My decisions will be made according to the opposition and this match and I won’t think about other commitments coming in quick succession.”

FANS AND THE TEAM
“I can imagine the fans’ disappointment following the derby. In the derby, we got some details wrong but we did lots of small things well. Not everything has to be thrown away. We must get back up again and carry on down our path. The team is working well, it’s put that painful loss behind itself. So far, I can’t criticise my players for the effort they’ve put in. We have to respond and hold our heads up high, playing with concentration and determination. I know that we need to improve and that starts with performances. We’re working to be stronger, play more convincing football and boss games. We know what our issues are and we’re working on the solutions. We need to improve in how we move the ball around and link things together and make fewer mistakes passing the ball. We need to play with more intensity.”

THE ATTACK
“I don’t know where we’ll be at the end of the season, it depends on how we grow as a side. I have faith that the team will improve and I have faith in time. Time will be my best friend and biggest enemy. I won’t speak about objectives, it doesn’t make sense at the moment. We need to improve in attack. I work to get the most out of my players, I need to have the ability and intelligence to combine all the best attacking characteristics that my players have. We still need to find the balance but we will find it. We need to learn to play more in the opponents’ half and this will also lead to more shots on goal.

THE CLUB
“The Club is present daily in every training session, and in every session there’s always the opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions. This is nothing special, we have normal discussions. I don’t ever think about my job being at risk, I only think about doing my job well.”

INDIVIDUALS
"There’s no problem with Piątek but we need to provide him with the best conditions possible to play and score goals. In the Derby, Suso started from a specific position but moved out wide and played on the left after a quarter of an hour. I like what I see from him both in the middle and out wide. Will Bennacer and Hernández play? It’s either them or Biglia and Rodríguez. Bonaventura is feeling much better, he could be in contention tomorrow. Jack can play anywhere, in midfield and in attack."

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