AC Milan's head coach, Sergio Conceicao, speaks to the media in a press conference today.
Here's what he had to say:
Third time that Milan and Juve face off in the last month and a half: what kind of game are you expecting?
"There’s balance, they are two strong teams. Two teams that have very interesting players, but every game is different. Tomorrow we have to face a team that played a great game against Atalanta. For what we have available in terms of time, we are working on small things that for me are big things. But we have little time, there are many games, important games. Until the beginning of February, we are playing in the Champions League, Serie A, and Coppa Italia. We must be ready, we need to have the right attitude to reach our goals."
How is Christian Pulisic, will he be there tomorrow? Conceicao replied:
"Even though I want to leave doubt for the opponent, it will come out in the newspapers tomorrow... So I’ll say Pulisic is out, I don’t want to bluff. Even in Portugal, it was the same. He’s out, we don’t want to take risks, it’s nothing special but we don’t want to risk it. If he plays for twenty minutes, he risks aggravating the situation, and I don’t want that."
Is Francesco Camarda already in the first team?
"He’s a young player, he has his path ahead of him with a lot of work to do. He has an important foundation, he has quality, talent, and desire."
On the transfer market, Conceicao commented:
"I’m not a big fan of the January market, it always creates, emotionally for players, not positive things. There are situations that need to be fixed, it’s good that we can get to this point. But it’s not the most important thing for me. I’m talking to the management, we agree on what we need, but you also know that it’s not easy to get players who can help and give more to this group. I talk with the management, and we agree on what we want."
If you had one wish to express, would you choose a forward, a midfielder, or a defender?
"A win tomorrow, that’s what I want most. I understand your curiosity, it’s normal: there are constant rumors, the market is open. Sorry, but for me the thought is already in this game. If I say something, it’s either untrue or a roundabout answer... So it’s better to talk about tomorrow's game."
Youssouf Fofana and Ismael Bennacer have struggled in their recent outings, how do you make them coexist?
"With work. That's precisely my job. Every player in their roles must complement each other well. I don't believe Bennacer and Fofana cannot coexist, quite the opposite. Tomorrow both will play. Normally, I never reveal who plays. But the lineup reported in the newspapers is always correct, but it's not criticism (smiles). They can coexist, they need to understand what to do when we have the ball to attack with balance. It's this balance that we want in the team, to avoid opponents' transitions."
If they ask you to do a pre-match interview tomorrow, would you go?
"I'll send someone else. It's impossible. I can't even gather my thoughts properly, and then maybe I'd say things that are not right because I'm thinking about other things."
On the captain's armband:
"I saw before coming here that there was controversy about the armband, but for me, it's not important. A 17-year-old and a 35-year-old should have the same responsibilities and everyone should speak up. At Porto, for several years, Diogo Costa, the goalkeeper, was captain. The captain could be Mike, Theo, Calabria. But it's not the important thing, they shouldn't worry about this. Maignan, for example, should worry about not conceding goals, that's the primary objective. I like him because he has this personality, he's a winner. Theo as well, he's achieved a fantastic number of goals here at Milan surpassing a legend like Maldini. It's a pleasure for me to coach these players. The captain's armband is not so important to me."
Do you think this Milan team lacks width from the full-backs? Conceicao replied:
"We are working on this too. If we play with 3 midfielders, I want width. Sometimes it can be a winger, other times it must and should be a full-back, but it can also be a midfielder. But this width is absolutely necessary in the game."
Have you found the secret formula to get more consistency from Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao?
"I think this consistency is always linked to training. They have recovery the day after the match, then the second day, and by the third day we're already talking about the match. Today I spoke with Leao, he has incredible physical test results. There are indications on this, he can do much more at this level. And I'm working on this. Within his game, his numbers will surely improve: I don't want him to be satisfied with 10 goals, he should aim for 20. He knows what he needs to improve, we've talked about it. Now going onto the field is difficult because there are too many matches, he understands what to improve and it's a good start for me.."
Conceicao, is the team’s problem mental or tactical?
"Offensive and defensive organization, that’s something we see every day, and we work on the details: sometimes we concede goals due to small details. We need to approach the game thinking that from the first minute, it’s possible to win or lose. If we look at Milan’s history, we see that the true champions are those who have been here in the past: those who won the 7 Champions Leagues, they are the true champions. Every victory here at Milan gives us the feeling that we can go on to win. We won a league title three years ago, now a Supercoppa, with all due respect to the Supercoppa. It’s a message for everyone, all those working at Milanello, not just the players: every detail matters. This message is also for me and my staff, we must always stay ‘hot’ in terms of spirit to achieve something. Because others are preparing well, and then it becomes difficult, even Como played well and has a prepared coach. If we want to be a little higher up, not only in terms of quality, the mental aspect is important: we represent Milan, so automatically we must be motivated."
Some players suffer because they play too much, like Reijnders and Fofana? Does the midfield need something? Will Tomori stay at Milan? Conceicao replied:
"He started with a good game question and then ended badly (laughs). Let’s not talk about the market today. The physical aspect is important, but there are 6 months left, we are not at the end of the season. We have 80 people working in different fields: nutritionists, we have everything here. It’s a mental issue, but we’re working on it, and we’re also working on this. Potential is sometimes not discovered because one doesn’t step out of their comfort zone. Tomorrow the limit will be even higher, you need to put a carrot in front of you. People think that just being at Milan means things are fine, but that’s not the case. The physical aspect is important, but it’s also important how each one speaks to themselves and whether they can give more, even if they’re not at their physical best."
When will the team be ready to play with a 4-4-2? Especially considering that the two wide players are Leao and Pulisic...
"That’s exactly the point: the team isn’t prepared for that. Essentially, we end up playing a 4-2-4 and taking risks. But when it’s time to win, I take risks because, for me, a draw is losing two points. And when we take risks, we leave ourselves exposed at the back, but balance is very important. Over time, yes, it’s definitely a model I like. I played like that for years—it’s very balanced. But the characteristics of the players have to be what I envision; otherwise, it wouldn’t even be smart of me to do it with players who are being adapted..."
What would you like to see again from that win against Juve, and what would you not want to see? Conceicao answered:
"Good question. What would I like to see again? What I mentioned earlier about the defensive aspect—not allowing the opponent too much. In the first half, in terms of defensive dynamics, we struggled more than we wanted to. I liked the reaction; we released the handbrake and attacked. Even though we allowed them to get into our area too easily. We need to be more attentive, because, for example, at Como, we conceded a goal because one of our full-backs didn’t cover five meters. If you close that space, maybe they won’t score. But if you don’t close it, they’ll push forward and score. I’d like to see a Milan that’s solid defensively and eager to attack the opponent’s goal."
