AC Milan’s new manager Sergio Conceicao is keeping his feet firmly on the ground following the team’s Supercoppa Italiana triumph in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese coach is already focused on the upcoming Serie A match against Cagliari and the challenge of securing Champions League qualification.
“You cannot work at Milan if, after winning a Supercoppa, you feel satisfied or have a full belly. It’s not right. Milan has won 19 Scudetti and 7 Champions Leagues, but we are 17 points behind first place in the standings. From tomorrow, we must start winning and convincing in the league to reach the highest possible position. The Supercoppa is in the past,” Conceicao stated firmly.
Regarding his emotions ahead of his first Serie A match at San Siro, Conceicao remained composed: “For me, there are no emotions. I will feel the normal adrenaline of a match and try to understand where I am, which is in a historic club. But for the preparation of the match, I have many things, many details in my head to think about my emotion. I may feel something before the whistle because I’m not made of stone, but I want above all to prepare the players well. I am the maximum leader of this team and I take responsibility in front of you, but everyone in the group has responsibilities.”
When asked about potential transfers, including rumors about Marcus Rashford, Conceicao was cautious: “The management has tried to talk to me once or twice, but at the wrong times. Tomorrow, for example, we have a league match. We will talk about the market at the right time. Maybe after the Cagliari match: perhaps we will find a way to talk about something that is important, but less so than beating Cagliari. Rashford? He’s a good player, like there are many in the market. We’ll see what happens.”
Conceicao also addressed his approach to team selection: “For me, all players start at the same level, and day by day I will see, based on the strategy for each match, who can help us. No one is excluded and no one is a guaranteed starter. We have a small problem with Loftus-Cheek, and I’m sorry he had a relapse yesterday because he was growing.”
On tactics, the coach emphasized flexibility: “For me, before talking about 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, the team’s balance is fundamental, both when it has the ball and when it doesn’t. A three-man midfield may seem safer today, but when we have more confidence, I like to play with two strikers. However, we need more time… I also change during the match; I did it in Riyadh and they pay me for this, to help the team after trying certain situations in training. Leao as a second striker? He must run, whether as a winger or second striker. He must learn to help even without the ball.”
Conceicao concluded with a warning to the team: “I’ve seen Real Madrid-Milan and Cagliari-Milan. The difficult thing is not getting to the top, but staying there. We must continue with the good things seen in Riyadh, not fall immediately. We need to express our qualities and improve further because against Juventus and Inter, for some parts of the match, we played badly and I didn’t like the boys at all. For example, against Inter, there were errors in pressing, in timing, in the right area to press… The way to live a success well is to think that we have another match ahead. I danced and was happy after the Supercoppa. Now, however, we must focus on beating Cagliari.”
