AC MILAN boss Stefano Pioli bizarrely claimed that two of his stars were “feeling, smelling and kissing each other” – before joking that kisses them too.
The Rossoneri have been criticised over recent weeks for their poor defensive displays but they secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Napoli on Sunday.
Theo Hernandez scored the only goal of the game after 25 minutes.
It was a result of the partnership between the 26-year-old French international full-back and left winger Rafael Leao.
The Portuguese forward brilliantly picked out Hernandez’s run behind the defence, with the ace racing through and making no mistake with his finish.
And speaking to DAZN after the game, Pioli had many supporters in stitches as he spoke about his star duo.
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When asked if they both looked to be back to their best, the 58-year-old Italian said: “Yes. Out of necessity Theo had made himself available to play as a central defender and in my opinion he did it brilliantly.
“On the wing they hear each other, they smell each other, they know each other, they kiss each other, I kiss them too when they score a goal (laughs).”
Pioli then added: “I think Theo had difficulty last year in getting over the disappointment of the World Cup final, the fatigue of the World Cup in that period.
“This year when we restarted the season I found him to be very positive, very proactive.
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“He has become a leader of this team, he doesn’t talk much.
“The games he played as a central defender made him understand how much more attentive and active he can be in the defensive phase.
“He has such great potential that he absolutely must continue like this.”
That result saw third-placed Milan open up a 17-point gap over Napoli in fourth.
They sit a point behind Juventus, who have a game in hand, while they are eighth behind Serie A leaders Inter.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
