Milan boss Stefano Pioli has stated that his side didn’t finish some rather easy chances during their goalless draw against Premier League side Newcastle United.
Rafael Leao had at least a couple of golden chances to help Milan take the lead but the Portuguese star, remarkably enough, missed them. The first one saw him go past a host of Newcastle players but he lost his balance and failed to get a shot away and beat Nick Pope.
The Rossoneri were the better side, purely on the basis of chances created and it is natural for them to regret those missed chances. Pioli spoke to Milan TV (via MilanNews) after the game and stated:
“Performance evaluation is easy. We played the game well, but we didn’t finish some rather simple occasions well. We regret not being able to win. We must persist and continue to play like this, we played well against a strong opponent and we were a team against a strong opponent, putting everything we had on the pitch.”
During the second half, both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mike Maignan picked up injuries and Pioli was asked about the situation of Maignan, especially considering that he was also injured for a good chunk of last season.
“As he moved to move the ball he felt a twinge behind him. You play a lot, he also played a lot in the national team, and the risks increase. However, Sportiello entered well and will eventually be ready.”
Performance wise, Milan fans should be satsified with the game against the Magpies, especially considering that it came in response to a 5-1 loss against Inter.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
