Stefano Pioli hopes to be at Milan for a long time but warns Lucas Paqueta has to be “more decisive” and Krzysztof Piatek can’t be afraid of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Pioli has never lasted more than two-and-a-half years at a club – that coming at Bologna between 2011 and 2014 – and is seen as a stop-gap for Milan this season.
Nonetheless, he replied to Corriere della Sera when asked if he would like to establish a legacy on the red half of San Siro: “Yes, a lot.
Stefano Pioli hopes to be at Milan for a long time but warns Lucas Paqueta has to be “more decisive” and Krzysztof Piatek can’t be afraid of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Pioli has never lasted more than two-and-a-half years at a club – that coming at Bologna between 2011 and 2014 – and is seen as a stop-gap for Milan this season.
Nonetheless, he replied to Corriere della Sera when asked if he would like to establish a legacy on the red half of San Siro: “Yes, a lot.
“My longest experience was at Bologna for two-and-a-half years. I would like to coach a team for 4-5 years because there’s so much to create in terms of spirit, culture.
“You can’t do that without results, but I think the biggest difficulty is assessing objectives at the start of the season.
“That’s because if you think your team are better than they are, it becomes difficult to hit targets and for the coach to stay on.
“The lucky coaches are the ones who go to a club that has a realistic view of the team’s objectives.
“Here, the club has asked me to do my best to achieve the highest objectives possible.
“They didn’t ask me for the Champions League but rather to take advantage of the players I have available, aware that I have a team with quality.”
Paqueta and Piatek were hailed as the new Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko by some Rossoneri fans last season, but their fortunes have since dwindled.
“I have no doubts about Paqueta, he’s a mezz’ala,” explained the coach.
“He works hard and generously, but he must become more decisive: which means he either creates goals or has to create them.
“As for Piatek, If you play for Milan and a quality player arrives then you must be stimulated and happy: the more that is the case, the higher your chances are of winning.”