PIOLI: "I EXPECT EVERYONE TO BE AT THEIR BEST"

This upcoming game has the potential to throw up some real issues and is certainly not to be underestimated. Cagliari v AC Milan is a big juncture in the Rossoneri's season; it is the last match before the break and a win would be vital to stay top of the table for the coming two weeks without league action. Stefano Pioli addressed this - and other topics - in his press conference at Milanello today, which was broadcast on Milan TV, YouTube and Twitch.

THE ROSSONERI'S CURRENT FORM
"At the start of the second half against Empoli, I think we struggled to move the ball around with any great effectiveness but it is also true that Maignan only had to make one save of note. We're concentrating on our work and we're not listening to any of the outside noise. We've had the full week to prepare for this game. We honestly haven't even spoken about the table. We're just focusing on our own form and on improving anything that we haven't quite got right. The team is doing well and morale is high. The players are working hard and I'm convinced that if your head is in the game, your legs will follow, so to speak."

STARTING FROM CAGLIARI
"All of the experience we have had will help us here. Right now, every team has a lot of motivation and objectives to reach; as such, you always need to play with intensity and be really alert. This will absolutely be the case for us tomorrow against Cagliari - they play really attacking football. They are aggressive in the challenge and, like us, they are working towards a big objective. We'll need to bring our quality to the fore and just play football the way we know how to. We need to be consistent, alert and flexible over the course of the 90 minutes. We have a lot of options and who plays will depend on any given game. Starting from tomorrow, we'll play against teams that employ a back three - we have players that can switch positions in order to tackle this set-up."  

PIERRE'S DEVELOPMENT
"Kalulu has a lot of quality and determination. He's a calm and collected guy and this allows him to play with a lot of personality. He always focuses in games and is never nervous, which is phenomenal for such a young player. He's grown a lot and is now reaping the benefits of his hard work. He's upped his game and, as a result, expectations of him will be higher but he's a good player, who is improving constantly."

IBRA'S FITNESS
"He's certainly better than he was a week ago. He's been doing some intense individual training and could get more minutes; we'll see what happens tomorrow. Zlatan does everything with conviction and enthusiasm. If he feels fit enough to go away with the Sweden national team, then he should absolutely go - it's just important that he gets minutes in the legs right now. If he's convinced, then so am I."

INDIVIDUALS
"Giroud has given us a lot of quality and also a lot of humanity. I expect every player to give their all - just that little bit extra to go from 98/99% to 100%. Junior [Messias] and Alexis [Saelemaekers] are working hard for the team and I think that both of them can give even more in attack. Daniel Maldini isn't available tomorrow; Tonali is back after missing two days of training and we will assess his condition today. Giroud trained with the group yesterday and might be ready. We will, however, need to more closely assess Brahim Díaz's condition as he picked up a knock in training."

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
"In order to win and kill games off, we need to look to keep scoring goals but it is also true that we're looking really solid. These games are there for anybody to win and it will be the finer details that make the difference. We can only control our own performances. The only thing that we need to do is take it game by game and keep winning while making as few errors as possible." 

ONE STEP AT A TIME
"Each team is in charge of its own destiny; don't put the cart before the horse. We effectively only have a one-point lead over second place, three over Napoli and seven over Juventus. Games are now really open and any one of them could be a pit-fall. Cagliari held Napoli to a draw a few games ago and we need to just keep taking it one game at a time. In general, the team has looked focused, alert and determined, but we're also feeling really calm. I've not noticed anything different because nothing has changed. The race for the top four is wide open and we want to go in the right direction. The most important victory is the next one."

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