AC Milan Is Back On The Winning Track, This Is What Coach Stefano Pioli Said

AC Milan against Fiorentina in the Italian Serie A match. (Twitter @acmilan)

JAKARTA - AC Milan finally achieved victory in the Italian Serie A competition at the San Siro Stadium, Sunday, November 26 early morning WIB. Coach Stefano Pioli said Milan did not need a complete overhaul and the team was focused on the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund.

The 1-0 win over Fiorentina through a very meaningful Theo Hernandez penalty. Especially after Milan's performance still tends to fluctuate.

In the previous match, the Rossoneri were only able to draw 2-2 against Lecce. This result meant that Milan failed to maintain a points gap with Inter Milan and Juventus.

However, they finally won again when they hosted Fiorentina. This success at least maintains Milan's position in the standings.

They are in third place with 26 points and are still five points adrift of city rivals, Inter, who are at the top of the standings.

Pioli does not question Milan's position in the standings. According to him, the most important thing is that Milan has returned to winning ways.

The result against Fiorentina is very meaningful because Milan could not field the best squad. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud is absent due to suspension.

Meanwhile Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor suffered injuries. In the front sector, Pioli can only rely on Luka Jovic, who has not shown his best performance. And, this was proven again when he faced his former club.

The player crisis prompted Pioli to call up the talented teenager, Francesco Camarda. As a result, this 15 year old teenager broke the record for the youngest player in the history of Italian football when he made his debut replacing Jovic.

Pioli admitted that the team did not show the best performance. However, he hopes that this victory will grow the players' confidence.

"It's natural that our performance wasn't the best. It wasn't one of the best when compared in terms of quality. We still played well in the first half, but mentally we weren't in the best condition. We also haven't shown progress even though we were able to bring home the three points," said Pioli.

"However, we also often experience that the team's performance declines in the second half and in the end we lose. This time, we still won and this can increase the players' confidence," he said.

Milan's poor results have indeed invited criticism. Pioli was also urged to make changes in his approach or way of playing. The reason is, Rossoni is considered to have lost his identity.

"It's the mentality that makes the difference," said Pioli.

"The atmosphere in the stadium is also different. I think we have taken the right approach when trying to get out of a difficult situation. Now we have to prepare ourselves for the crucial match in the Champions League," he said.

Milan will host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. In the previous duel, the two teams drew 0-0.

However, in Milan's last match in European competition, they successfully beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0.

"A win over PSG will open up opportunities for us. A win over Dortmund will make a difference," said Pioli.