Reijnders: ‘Milan make it difficult for ourselves’ after painful 2-1 defeat

epa11916648 Players of Milan look disappointed after losing the Italian Serie A soccer match between Torino FC and AC Milan, in Turin, Italy, 22 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

Tijjani Reijnders admits Milan ‘cannot keep making it more difficult for ourselves’ and ‘it is very easy for opponents to defend if we play at a lower pace.’

The Rossoneri have had a truly disastrous week, going out of the Champions League play-off to Feyenoord when down to 10 men, then losing 2-1 away to Torino and slipping further behind the top four in Serie A.

Toro took full advantage of their howlers, starting with Mike Maignan hoofing a clearance onto teammate Malick Thiaw to ricochet into an empty net, then Vanja Milinkovic-Savic parrying the Christian Pulisic penalty before Antonio Sanabria took a free kick quickly to set up the Gvidas Gineitis winner.

Reijnders sees Milan problems clearly

“At this moment, we make it very difficult for ourselves. We got the draw and then directly conceded the 2-1, so we have to be more mature. We cannot keep making it more difficult for ourselves in every game and that is what is happening right now,” Reijnders told DAZN.

It was a further blow to their campaign after the Champions League exit to Feyenoord, though they are in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

“We try to be positive, because there are still chances for us in the league. Now that we are out of the Champions League, maybe we can have more focus. Of course, it is difficult to stay positive after these losses, but we must go into it with confidence, otherwise it will be tough.”

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Sergio Conceicao keeps saying Milan need to move the ball around faster, but Reijnders is one of the few players who is able to do that.

“If we take too much time, it is easier for the opponents to close up and shift back into shape,” confessed the Netherlands international.

“We need to play quicker to create space between the lines, because we are not creating enough chances and it is very easy for the opponents to defend if we play at a lower pace. That is something where we have to really improve.”

Milan’s next test is on Thursday with a trip to Bologna, a tie that had originally been scheduled for October 2024 when it was called off due to flood warnings around the Stadio Dall’Ara.