(Reuters) – It is just too quickly to say reigning champions Inter Milan have damaged clear in the Serie A title race, AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli mentioned on Saturday as he challenged his gamers to beat final season’s halfway factors whole by profitable their subsequent two video games.
The Rossoneri face Napoli at San Siro on Sunday in a key conflict for the Scudetto race, with second-placed Milan on 39 factors, 4 behind rivals Inter who’ve performed a recreation extra, and three forward of the guests in fourth.
Pioli’s aspect have been topped ‘winter champions’ final season, the title given to the highest aspect on the midway stage of the marketing campaign, however the Milan coach is aiming for an excellent higher factors haul this time round.
“We are having a great first half of the season, but there are still two games to go. I would like it a lot if we could beat the 43 points we had at this stage last season,” Pioli informed a information convention.
“But the team we face tomorrow has a lot of quality and a great coach (Luciano Spalletti), so we need to raise the level of our performance.”
Milan and Napoli have been the early pacesetters however have stuttered in latest weeks, with the Rossoneri choosing up two wins in their final six league video games and Napoli one win in 5.
That droop has allowed champions Inter to take over on the high and the Nerazzurri put strain on their metropolis rivals by hammering Salernitana nL1N2T23CP 5-0 on Friday.
“I don’t think you can say Inter have broken away, you don’t win league titles in December,” Pioli mentioned. “Last season we have been on high for a very long time, then we all know the way it ended.”
“We began this 12 months brilliantly by profitable all our video games, now they (Inter) are doing that. But we’re not in a race towards anybody, solely ourselves,” he added.
“The last two performances weren’t the best and the team knows that. Tomorrow we need to show all our quality, with strength and determination.”
Milan have been held 1-1 nL1N2SW0IH at lowly Udinese in their final Serie A outing after going out of European competitors nL1N2SS2U3 by dropping 2-1 at dwelling to a second-string Liverpool aspect in the Champions League.
(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; Editing by Ken Ferris)
