Speaking to Sky Sport after his Milan side were knocked out of the Europa League by Manchester United, Stefano Pioli concluded that ultimately the 1-0 loss was more down to Milan’s shortcomings than the quality of their opponents.
The Rossoneri manager went on to point out that his opposite number was able to field a full-strength squad, although recognising that for a young squad like Milan’s the tie will serve as a learning curve moving forward.
“It’s disappointing because we played like a big team, we should have scored a goal in the first half, which would have changed our direction. It’s a shame because we did so much to get here, we had to give that little bit more and we didn’t manage it.”
“It was more down to our errors than their quality, and I regret that. It’s hard for me to blame my players because they put in soul and determination. To not have gone through is a big regret for us, but we’ll bounce back in the league. They line up with the best team possible, and I would have liked to be able to do the same. But the two performances were very good, there was little missing. We are young, although this shouldnt be an excuse – this is match that will allow us to grow, without a doubt.”
“We knew that our campaign would be difficult, the top seven are very strong, but the fact that we are in the running for a Champions League spot shows we have grown. Now, we’ll make the most of the time we have to play the final league games with great spirit, knowing that we have the quality to reach our goal.”
