AC Milan’s hopes for direct qualification to the Champions League Round of 16 were dashed in Zagreb as they fell 2-1 to Dinamo, with goals from Baturina and Pjaca overshadowing Pulisic’s equalizer. The Rossoneri’s task was made more difficult by Musah’s first-half dismissal, relegating them to the playoffs where they’ll face either Feyenoord or Juventus.
Post-match, Milan’s manager Sergio Conceicao didn’t mince words in his assessment of the team’s performance. Speaking to Sky Sport, he stated, “In the first half, we lacked the basics of football. Football is about offensive and defensive duels, about aggression. We were like that for 20-25 minutes until the first goal, rarely reaching the final 30 meters.”
Conceicao emphasized the need for improvement, saying, “We must do more. At this level, matches are of high quality, and we must remain ready and at high levels.”
When questioned about training aggression, the coach pointed to personal responsibility: “This depends on the pride of each of us, on the goals that everyone has for their career. You must have this foundation. Then we talk about tactics, game systems, team dynamics… I’m not saying anything new. We needed to enter much stronger, more aggressive in duels, more present in the game.”
Addressing the team’s difficulties, Conceicao revealed, “Today I had 17 players, I put Tomori as right-back, I had 2-3 young players on the bench, some players aren’t registered, some are injured. I haven’t talked about this, about the field or the refereeing, which isn’t at Champions League level. But I didn’t talk about this. We could talk about everything, but I don’t want to.”
In the press conference, Conceicao further elaborated on the match’s events: “All the episodes of the match were against us, but with this, I don’t want to hide the lack of aggression in the first half. When the foundation is missing, it’s difficult: football is made of constant duels, defensive and offensive.”
He expressed frustration with the team’s approach: “For me, it’s more important to have passion, to put something more of yourself. Otherwise, you can change coaches, bring in the best in the world, but it’s difficult. The problem is the foundation. Truly: for me, to play a Champions League match like this, to enter in a manner like ours, it’s difficult…”
When asked if this was the worst first half of his career, Conceicao responded, “No, because despite our attitude, they had never reached our goal. I’m not even massacring Gabbia, who has given us so much. Musah, first avoidable card. Error and their goal at the first shot: it was us as a team who made these mistakes. Let’s put our hand on our conscience. I’m here in front of you, and I tell you that I’m responsible. Then in the locker room, we need to look each other in the face.”
Despite the setback, Conceicao remains confident in the team’s belief in his work: “If the players didn’t believe in me, we wouldn’t have won the Supercoppa, or in Como, or against Parma with important reactions. We need to change how we enter the match. If those who play from the first minute aren’t willing to do this, we’ll put in others. There’s trust between staff and players.”
