Now coach of Al Nassr, Stefano Pioli gave his first interview since leaving AC Milan. Here are the best extracts from this interview given to Gazzetta dello Sport
???? Cristiano Ronaldo
“If I arrive half an hour early for training, he arrives 25 minutes early. He’s always the first to get on the bus. A perfectionist who demands a lot from himself and others. He lives for the team, he helps, he advises. Sometimes I let him talk to the young people. I can’t consider him like the others. But he is intelligent, he respects the roles. »
???????? Maldini and Massara
“We stayed in touch. I worked with two honest and very competent people. Our understanding was very strong. With Paolo, there were also lively discussions, because we are two strong minds. »
???????? Theo Hernandez
“Theo is a good boy. Everyone has their strategies to get the best out of players. There wasn’t a single day in Milan when I didn’t have to motivate him. But tell me a single left-back in the world who can change the course of matches like him. I was criticized for only using the carrot. This is not true. But I didn’t show the stick in public. »
???????? Rafael Leão
“By criticizing him, we lose sight of the reality, namely that he is a boy in constant progress. This year again. I remain convinced that Rafa can become much stronger, maybe not Ballon d’Or, but much stronger than he is now. He gets there. When he went to the national team, I told him: “Observe carefully everything CR7 does, then tell me about it.” He came back, told me the story, and I said to him: “You see? Do the same!” »
????⚫ The end with Milan
“It was a physiological conclusion, the derbies accelerated it. Losing six in a row hurt me, that’s natural. Especially the two in the Champions League, because they reduced the value of a great achievement: returning to the semi-finals after 16 years. I understood that it was over during the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, Roma-Milan, at the Stadio Olimpico. In the first leg, we lost 1-0. In the locker room, before the match, I gave a goosebump-inducing speech, one of the most sincere of my career. I was sure to pass. But the team felt nothing and on the pitch, they did little. There, I understood that what I was giving was no longer enough. Empathy had broken. »
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