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Pioli admits Milan “didn’t play up to our level” after shocking loss to Udinese

IF24 Desk
AC Milan's Italian coach Stefano Pioli speaks with AC Milan's Dutch midfielder #14 Tijani Reijnders during the Italian Serie A football match between AC Milan and Udinese at San Siro stadium in Milan, on November 04, 2023. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Stefano Pioli admitted Milan were well-below standards in their 1-0 home defeat against Udinese on Saturday evening.

A second half penalty from Roberto Pereyra was all the Zebrette needed to earn their very first victory of the season while dealing a blow to the hosts.

“We didn’t play up to our level,” Pioli told DAZN. “The longer the match went on, the tougher it got for us.”

“We had some chances in the first half but this was our worst performance of the recent stretch. We had trouble finding space throughout the game then they ultimately won a penalty. There’s so many things we need to work. We poured a lot of men forward to try and create more 1-on-1 opportunities. This loss really hurts but we need to improve.”

He was also asked about the hostility at full-time from Rossoneri supporters, who whistled the squad incessantly as they left the pitch.

“They’ve always supported us so obviously they’ve got reasons if they’ve criticised us. Given the way we played, the boos were more than justified. Now it’s up to us to reverse course and turn things around.”