Stefano Pioli urges Milan to ‘be more determined’ than Spezia and warns they must get used to the strain of Europa League and Serie A football.

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There is the risk of fatigue after Thursday’s epic Europa League play-off with Rio Ave, which ended 2-2 after extra time and went through 24 penalties before the shoot-out was decided.

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Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali said he really enjoys playing with Franck Kessie. ‘He never gets tired and helps you a lot’.

Tonali, who arrived from Brescia this summer, has already appeared in four competitive games for the Rossoneri, revealing he loves to play next to the former Atalanta midfielder.

“He is very nice, I don’t know why he said he is the boss of the dressing room, but he is great,” Tonali told DAZN. “He really deserves a lot.

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Milan midfielder Franck Kessie has impressed under coach Stefano Pioli and could be rewarded with a new deal at San Siro.

The former Atalanta midfielder has expressed his will to continue with the Rossoneri, amid links to Napoli in recent transfer markets.

Kessie arrived in July 2017 and Calciomercato.com reveals former Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso specifically asked Napoli to get him Kessie.

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Franck Kessie, Lorenzo Colombo and Samu Castillejo scored the goals when Milan convinced with a 3-1 win against Brescia in their last friendly before the Europa League match against Shamrock Rovers.

Stefano Pioli’s men faced Luigi Delnieri’s Brescia at Milanello, when Sandro Tonali came off the bench and played the last 17 minutes against his former club.

The Rossoneri have won their four friendlies against Novara, Monza, Vicenza and now Brescia, before the first official match of the new season on Thursday.

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Milan midfielder Franck Kessie has been on fire in recent weeks but claims the Rossoneri shouldn’t be surprised by the results against other 'great teams'.

The Ivorian has been one of the protagonists at San Siro since the resumption and he claims the hard work during the lockdown has payed off.

“During the break we continued to work hard. We did what the coach told us to,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “We followed the physical work that the coach gave us and we can see the results.

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Stefano Pioli insists there’s no secret to Milan turning their season around and admits he had problems with Franck Kessie at first. ‘We’re reaping the rewards of working together for six months.’

The Rossoneri keep on registering results, fighting back from a goal down to beat Parma 3-1, allowing them to catch Napoli in sixth place on 53 points.

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Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has claimed it ‘didn’t look like a penalty’ as Milan picked up a point at the San Paolo and encouraged the Partenopei to ‘keep working like we are doing’.

Franck Kessie equalised from the penalty spot, as Milan came back to claim a point in Naples on Sunday  

After the match, Koulibaly claimed it’s ‘difficult’ for defenders to avoid giving away penalties in Serie A and calls for VAR to ‘help us’.

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Franck Kessie’s agent is ‘still in contact with Gennaro Gattuso for various reasons,’ but there hasn’t been a Napoli offer for the Milan midfielder.

Former Rossoneri coach Gattuso is now flying high at Napoli and fresh from winning the Coppa Italia, while closing in on fifth place in Serie A after five consecutive victories.

“Gattuso has this ability to create a strong rapport with his players,” agent George Atangana told Radio Punto Nuovo.

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