PIOLI: "IMPORTANT TO BE CONSISTENT"

Finally, after almost a month, we're back home. Tomorrow, Saturday 6 April at 15:00 CEST we will reunite with our fans for AC Milan v Lecce. On the eve of the match, Stefano Pioli spoke at a press conference from Milanello. Here are the main topics touched upon by our coach:

MAINTAINING THIS RUN OF FORM
"Of course, the desire is there. We're going into the most crucial stage of the season in good condition, especially mentally. We've won four consecutive games in the league before, but never five. Lecce just caused problems for Roma too, so we'll need to play well. It'll be a tough game because they've been playing well since the new coach came in; they want to play good football, and they know how to do just that. They haven't conceded a single goal in their last two games, but we're capable of playing well enough to win."

SINCE THE COACH'S DEBUT IN AC MILAN v LECCE
"I've changed. Experience, both positive and negative, has shaped me. AC Milan has taught me a lot. A coach always tries to aim for success in his professional career and keep improving. I've done that in these last few years."

FIRST SERIE A, THEN THE EUROPA LEAGUE
"Our focus is on this game in the league. We'll make a few changes due to the odd physical problem and Loftus-Cheek's suspension, but not because we're already thinking ahead to the Roma game. Consistency is so important right now; we'll have time to recover our energy for the Europa League. I'll put out the best team possible. Thiaw won't be available as a precaution. We hope he's back for Thursday's game because we'll be without Kalulu and Tomori."

LEÃO AND CHUKWUEZE
"I've been talking to Rafa a lot lately. We're going into the most important part of the season with him in great form. I'm really pleased with what he's doing. He knows he needs to keep this up and try to improve even more. We're also really pleased with Sammy's development. The staff and I saw that his stats from the last three games were better than the numbers he was putting up in Spain. He has it in him to become an important player, and he's got the mentality and the legs for it. He's got some great traits that can be of use to our forward line."

REIJNDERS ON THE LEFT, LIKE IN FLORENCE
"Tiji has often played on the left of the midfield three. A repeat of his performance in Florence will depend on what we get Leão to do in defence, whether it's track back to the full-back position or come central. With players like Rafa, Theo and Reijnders, who have a lot of quality in terms of their technical ability and movement, I think that we can carry a big threat. We try to get the best out of each player to find the right balance, and these three can provide that balance."

INDIVIDUALS
"Bennacer can step into Loftus-Cheek's role. He missed a couple of sessions because of the flu but he's feeling better now. Jović is ready; he's got so much quality and I think he can do even more."

AC MILAN IN GOOD SHAPE
"The team looks calmer again. We've rediscovered the energy that only performances and a good atmosphere can bring. We've always been able to play with enthusiasm during our good runs and I think that's the best situation for us given my players' mental traits. In order to keep this going, we need to have the right approach to games and combine quality with good performances and results."

THE PLAYERS' GROWTH
"We've worked hard and are continuing to do so. This is normal with players from various backgrounds, who are used to different things. We've done it in a positive way, which suits their talents and the humility they've shown while adapting to a new environment. It's a pleasure to work with them and they know that there's still room for improvement, which can bring long-term growth to this team. They're mature players but they still haven't reached their full potential."

THE ROSSONERI GOING FORWARD
"I'm more and more convinced that physical fitness depends on mentality. What we've done up to now doesn't matter that much, we just need to focus on playing our best football against Lecce. You (the press, ed.) do your jobs and you, rightfully, discuss the future but we only ever focus on the present. We build the AC Milan of tomorrow on the results of the here and now."

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