FOOTBALL
Milan's problems not fixed by one victory - Pioli
Milan may have secured a late victory over Parma on Sunday, but head coach Stefano Pioli admitted their problems have not been totally resolved yet.
Left-back Theo Hernandez struck two minutes from time in Sunday's clash at Stadio Ennio Tardini to end the Rossoneri's three-match winless run in Serie A.
Milan, 11th in the table, have won only two of their seven matches since Pioli replaced Marco Giampaolo last month, and the ex-Fiorentina boss acknowledged there is still work to do.
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"The team was aware of the importance of this match," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We have had some good performances without having collected anything.
"We knew what we had to do today and we deservedly won against a strong and organised Parma side.
— AC Milan (@acmilan) December 1, 2019
"The victory does not fix all of our problems. From here until Christmas I want to collect as many points as possible.
"There is still a lot to do, but I am satisfied with today's performance."
Krzysztof Piatek missed a good chance at 0-0 and was replaced just after the hour mark, but Pioli has called on others to help the out-of-form striker.
"He is not smiling, but that is to be expected as we are professionals," he said. "It is clear that we need to support him.
"This group of players wants to get us out of trouble and they are all very motivated. Those that started did very well and now we think about Bologna."
A lack of goals has proved costly for Milan in recent weeks and they struggled to put away their chances against Parma before Hernandez's late strike.
Pioli is working to find a solution in attack and is hopeful his players will take confidence from a first win since the end of October.
— Theo Hernandez (@TheoHernandez) December 1, 2019
"We are starting to work more as a team, with more cohesion and compactness," he added at his post-match news conference.
"We have to work to grow and improve. If the victory had not arrived there would have been questions, but we have to continue concentrating.
"The goal now is to think about the next match and maintain our level of performance. Today's three points against a strong opponent gives us confidence."
Parma conceded a 95th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Bologna last week, though they remain a point clear of Milan and head coach Roberto D'Aversa was quick to put Sunday's defeat into context.
"They may be behind us in the table but they're a team that were expected to finish in a Champions League spot at the beginning of the season," he told reporters.
"We must give credit to the opposition. We have to consider the fact we played against Milan.
"In the last few minutes today, and the last seconds against Bologna, we have thrown away some points. That must not happen because points are important if we are to reach our goal."
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