Coach Stefano Pioli defends AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli and explains why he is struggling in this period.
Stefano Pioli defends his players that have been recently at the center of great criticism. Especially the coach protects the work of his captain, Alessio Romagnoli. The Rossoneri coach, pressured by journalists, protected the AC Milan captain, arguing that the difficulties derive from the setting of the game and not from the individual performances.
Pioli’s words seem to justify the Italian defender’s work and implicitly confirm his start from the fist minute in the next match with Roma. A crucial game for the Champions League ambitions of both clubs.
The AC Milan coach argues that the Rossoneri’s defensive difficulties are not attributable to Romagnoli, or to other players, but rather that it is a problem of tactical nature. “Romagnoli is not the culprit. We need to improve our collective performance but Alessio has played a lot this season“, said Pioli.
In fact, Romagnoli, also due to a long list of injuries between November and December, has played a lot, as many as 26 official matches out of 34 played by the Rossoneri, often with different teammates.
The 26-year-old centre back enjoys the unconditional backing of the coach. Pioli claims that Milan’s problems in defense are due to the tactical decline because the team runs badly and is struggling physically. With less possession the opponents create more, making the entire back line to suffer and not just the centre backs.
Pioli’s analysis clearly indicates how the blame for the Rossoneri difficulties lie with teams rather than individual players. “We have to improve when under the pressure from the opponents. Only in this way does ball possession grow and the opportunities increase“.
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