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Sergio Conceição: “I am here to win, not to make friends”

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Newly appointed AC Milan coach Sergio Conceição made a strong statement following his team’s victory in the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus. This match marked Conceição’s debut after the dismissal of Paulo Fonseca, and it set the stage for a highly anticipated Milan derby in the final against Inter.

The match saw Milan come from behind to secure a 2-1 win, with Kenan Yildiz stepping in for Francisco Conceição, who was sidelined due to injury. Yildiz opened the scoring in the first half with a stunning goal, and the momentum shifted in the second half with a penalty converted by Christian Pulisic and an own goal from Juventus defender Gatti.

In his post-match interview, Conceição expressed his passion for the game and his commitment to success. “There needs to be passion in life. These are beautiful moments. My boys deserved the final, even though in the first half I saw the Milan of a few weeks ago, filled with doubts,” he said.

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Reflecting on the halftime adjustments, he noted, “I think we changed at halftime when we talked and looked each other in the eyes. They understood what they needed to do to win the match. They were brave because the second half was different from the first.”

Despite the victory, Conceição was quick to temper expectations. “But we have not won anything yet. As for Leão? I don’t know if I will recover him for Inter. I think he won’t be available tomorrow; we’ll see the day after.” He also shared a light-hearted moment regarding his son Francisco’s disappointment after losing.

Conceição emphasized his determination to build a competitive team: “Yes, I have this possibility in mind—to pair a striker with Morata. Alvaro often drops back for support, but the wingers did not do what I wanted, so we were inconsistent in attack. I have played a lot with a 4-4-2, but we prepared something different from what was seen in the first half.”

Addressing his approach as a coach, he admitted to being tough on his players: “After the first 45 minutes, I got a bit angry because I didn’t see the team as I had prepared them. The group is humble; it’s a good group. Sometimes they lack that little bit of aggression to achieve more.”

Conceição concluded with a firm declaration of his intentions: “Players need both encouragement and some tough love. I’m not one to be very friendly; I prefer to get angry more often than not. But they need this too—to seek out positive energy because they have quality. I’m happy because they accepted my message and accepted me. I’m here not to make friends but to win.”

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