Mission accomplished! The Milan delete the Tottenham and qualified for the quarterfinals Champions League, thus returning to the best eight in Europe after eleven years of waiting. Also on 6 March 2012 the pass arrived in London, but compared to that challenge with theArsenal (3-0 for the Gunners but qualification thanks to 4-0 in the first leg) the merits are enormously greater. The Rossoneri handled Spurs' comeback attempts to perfection, indeed they came much closer to scoring than conceding: the quarter-finals, also considering the first leg, is deserved and now Pioli can enjoy the rest of the journey without anxiety about the result. Opposite speech for Tale, who after this elimination sees the specter of failure for his Tottenham season: the choice to leave could have been taken regardless (personal reasons make him want to return to Italy), but the feeling is that Spurs won't do anything in particular to convince him to change his mind.
Tottenham – Milan 0-0, the Devil returns to the European elite after eleven years of waiting
Deserved qualification, we said, because those who expected a Milan perched in defense, protecting the 1-0 first leg with so many worries, were decidedly disappointed. Pioli's proclamations on the eve ("we can't manage the result") were respected, in the light of an overall performance superior to that of the English, with that mix of compactness, courage and lucidity that made the difference. It ended 0-0 but the best chances were from the Devil, so much so that Tottenham only made themselves really dangerous in full stoppage time with a header from Kane, thwarted big time by maignan: on the reversal in front, however, Origi hit a post at Forster beaten, further legitimizing the qualification. Pioli is back "on fire" precisely on the most important night, getting all the formation choices right (usual three-way line-up Rabbit-Thiaw-Tumor, krunic in the middle of the field and Diaz to accompany the offensive couple Giroud-Leao) and, which is anything but obvious, showing a courageous mentality that always pays off in Europe. Conte, on the other hand, failed to attack Milan as he would have liked, ending up getting wrapped up both tactically and technically. The Rossoneri can thus celebrate and think about a quarter-final that will bring a lot, from a sporting but also economic point of view: between the UEFA prize and the next collection at San Siro, in fact, at least 20 million will enter the coffers in via Aldo Rossi.
Pioli rejoices: "Dreaming is beautiful, but in the quarter-finals I would like to avoid the Italians"
“We did it, we did well – Pioli rejoiced -. I had asked for personality, we could have dribbled more and avoided overtaking, but we never gave up and deserved qualification, even considering the first leg. Milan must take one step at a time, first it was important to get through the group, then the round of XNUMX and now we'll wait for the draw, even if I hope we don't meet the Italian teams. From here we have to bring the enthusiasm to start over. I like to think that there is nothing impossible in sport. Then of course, only the strongest in Europe will remain and the difficulties will increase, but I'm sure all the experiences made in Europe, especially the negative ones, have helped us to level up. Now we have to take advantage of these positive experiences to grow in self-esteem and play for the quarterfinals with conviction and confidence".
Bitter count: “A lot to improve. My future? Let's see at the end of the season…”
Press conference of the opposite tenor for Conte, once again grappling with a premature elimination from Europe that will cause much discussion. “My relationship with the Champions League? We don't talk about the coach, we always talk about the teams – glossed over the coach -. When you win, teams win and the same goes when you lose, this consideration makes me smile… This is a group that has to work hard to become competitive at the important levels required for those who play in the Premier League, there is quite a lot of way to go. I've been here for 14 months, let's not forget that last year we went out in the group stage Conference League, while this year we took a step forward, winning the Champions League. Then in the round of XNUMX we met the Italian champion team, while we haven't won anything for a very long time. My future? At the end of the season the assessments will be made in a serene way, let's see how it ends, maybe they'll exonerate me even earlier if they had other expectations...".
Today it's up to Europe and the Conference League: Juventus-Fribourg, Roma-Real Sociedad and Fiorentina-Sivasspor
But the European week of Italian girls does not end here. Today, in fact, it's up to Europe and the Conference League, with Juventus, Roma e Fiorentina in the field against Freiburg, Real Sociedad e Sivasspor (Lazio has already played, and lost, against the Dutch side of Az Alkmaar). On paper, the most difficult commitment is that of the Giallorossi, who will have to contend with the fourth team in the Spanish Liga, even if they are back from two draws and a defeat in their last three games. Juve's commitment was also not easy, given that Freiburg are fifth in the Bundesliga (on a par with Leipzig fourth) and know how to manage matches well on a defensive level, as demonstrated by the recent draws with Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen, while Fiorentina he shouldn't (conditionally) have big problems with Sivasspor, 14th in Turkey and without noteworthy individuals. The evening isn't from inside or out, since we're only on the way, but the hope is that our teams can do well and continue the race, completing the Milan party.
