Pioli recounted his farewell to the Rossoneri club and revealed a precise moment when he realized it would be best to leave.
Also watching Juventus-Milan from the stands was Stefano Pioli, who had visited the Rossoneri the day before to greet his former players, management, and Sergio Conceicao. He has been the coach of Al Nassr since Sept. 18, so he is familiar with Al Awwal Park stadium, where the teams faced each other.
Quando Pioli ha capito che col Milan era finita: “C’è stato un momento preciso…” (Ansa Foto) – MilanLive.it
When there was a separation with Milan, he evaluated some offers and then remained free. His goal was to go to England to hone his English and make a view to some top clubs while waiting for a convincing proposal to return to the bench. Al Nassr called him and he could not say no, partly because the rich contract put on the table was one that was hard to refuse. Moreover, he has the chance to coach a legend like Cristiano Ronaldo. He leads a very competitive team for Saudi and Asian soccer in general, there is a foundation to win trophies.
Pioli racconta l’addio al Milan
Interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pioli also spoke about his departure from Milan: “It had come to a physiological conclusion, the derbies accelerated it. Losing six in a row hurt me, naturally. Especially the two in the Champions League, also because they took value away from a great achievement: being back in the semifinals after 16 years.”
Pioli racconta l’addio al Milan (Ansa Foto) – MilanLive.it
The Emilia coach also explained when he realized concretely that it was over with the Rossoneri: “There was a specific moment: return leg of the Europa League Quarterfinals, Roma-Milan at the Stadio Olimpico. In the first leg we had lost 1-0. In the locker room in the pregame I gave a goosebump speech, one of my most heartfelt ever. I was sure we would go through. Instead the team got nothing and did little on the field. There I realized that what I was giving was no longer enough. The empathy had broken down.”
That very Roma-Milan match was the match that made the Rossoneri definitively lean toward a change of coach. Earlier Pioli still had chances to stay, although there was already talk of a probable separation and names of potential replacements were circulating. The current Al Nassr coach acknowledged that the conditions were no longer there to move forward; the group was not following him enough. A change was needed.
The article When Pioli realized it was over with Milan: “There was a specific moment…” was written and published in its original version on Milanlive.it.
