Sergio Conceicao saw his AC Milan team draw 1-1 against Feyenoord at the San Siro in the second leg fixture of the Champions League playoffs to the round of 16. The first match in Rotterdam ended with the Dutch side winning 1-0. Therefore, the Rossoneri club has exited the competition. The Portuguese boss has spoken to Sky sport Italia after the final whislte.
Here are his words:
Question: Assessment of the 180 minutes?
Conceicao: "The disappointment is huge, we are all angry: we knew we were stronger. We made mistakes in Rotterdam, and we prepared this one to win. There was no way they could reach our goal, and we missed the second goal on several occasions. We have our share of blame too, and now we must focus on the league: there’s the league, the Coppa Italia. We need to be stronger and work harder. We played for a long time with one man down in Zagreb and today: Theo’s incident changed the game, until that moment they hadn’t created a single chance."
What do you think about Theo Hernandez's incident? Conceicao replied:
"For me, today is a defeat. In previous years, I’ve reached the round of 16 five times in six years with Porto: I’ve made so many mistakes that you can’t even imagine. My players also make mistakes, but the face of this elimination is Sergio Conceição, not Theo," said Conceicao.
Why did you substitute Santiago Gimenez while being a man down?
"The decision was mine. I did it because he arrived just a week ago: if you remember, he had a minor issue before joining. He played even at the risk of getting injured. Why not Abraham? At that moment, we were down a man, we were deeper, and I wanted to counterattack. These are my choices—if I don’t win, they hand me my bags, and I leave. I highly respect the opinions of those who have played football."
Could you have made some substitutions earlier?
"Yes, every coach sees the game in their own way. Making changes just for the sake of it isn’t worth it; I have to understand what the players can contribute at that moment in the match."
Two red cards for reckless actions: was there a lack of maturity?
"There's definitely room for improvement in many areas, including this one. Sometimes, being mentally strong is the most important thing. I understand the pressure of these big clubs, and there is work to be done internally on this aspect—externally, the environment doesn’t help the players either..."
Why is Theo Hernandez so inconsistent?
"I’ve known him for a long time, and I know he can do much more. His coach can also do more."
