Home News Serie A Fiorentina Defeat No Distraction for AC Milan, Pioli Insists

Fiorentina Defeat No Distraction for AC Milan, Pioli Insists

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Stefano Pioli has insisted that Milan have not yet had their eyes on a Champions League game against Tottenham after a well-deserved defeat to Fiorentina.

Milan saw a three-game winning streak in Serie A come to an abrupt end after Nicolas Gonzalez and Luka Jovic delivered a 2-1 defeat despite a well-placed late shot by Theo Hernandez on Saturday.

This jeopardized four of the Rossoneri’s main hopes, with fifth-placed Roma able to match on points with Sunday’s home win over Juventus.

Milan visit Tottenham with a narrow 1-0 lead ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 second leg, though Pioli dismissed speculation that the match had affected the Rossoneri against Fiorentina.

Asked by Sky Sport Italia if Milan were thinking about Tottenham, Pioli replied: “No, no, it was absolutely not the case.

Fiorentina played better than us, but not because we thought about Tottenham.

“We never thought about Tottenham. We had to do better. It was a defeat we didn’t want.”

Milan have won four in a row in all competitions without conceding and are aiming for the fifth occasion in their history when they have won five in a row without breaking a defence.

This never came to fruition after Fiorentina’s lead from the start at the Artemio Franchi stadium, where Pioli acknowledged Milan were slow to develop.

“We prepared for the match as if it was very important. Fiorentina performed better than us in the first half in terms of quality and energy,” he added.

“We did better in the second half, but the first half was badly played and we were punished.”

Only Cremonese, Sampdoria and Salernitana (all six) have lost more Serie A games than Milan in 2023, although Pioli expects the Rossoneri to react when they travel to Tottenham.

“It will be a different match because today’s match doesn’t count,” he continued. “It will be two teams that will play to the maximum; Milan will definitely be ready.”

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