AC Milan's consultant, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, spoke to Sky Sport Italia after the disappointing 1-1 draw which means that Conceicao's team has left the Champions League competition.
Here are his words:
"We are disappointed and angry. I think we lacked maturity: you're leading 1-0, and you keep playing the same way. On Theo’s second yellow card, the referee was too harsh: for simulation in a game like this, at least give a warning first. The match changed after that. Now, the important thing is to stay united as a group and focus on the league: we suffer tonight, and from tomorrow, we prepare for the next objective."
What more could have been done over the 180 minutes?
"A lot more could have been done. After the games, you can say many things. Today, with a bit of luck, we could have made it 2-0 in the first half, and we started the second half well. Then the match changed."
Theo Hernandez always dives...
"When these situations happen, you can’t say if it's right or wrong. I don’t think Theo acts; he plays his game and tries to do his best. These things happen on the pitch; it’s not like he’s looking for them."
Are you angry with the referee or with Theo Hernandez?
"We are angry with ourselves: we lost, and the opponent was stronger. We shot ourselves in the foot. We’re not angry with the referee. It’s our fault; there are no excuses or complaints. We have to look in the mirror and see what we did wrong."
So many red cards, how is that possible?
"These are situations that happen on the pitch. In Empoli, we got a red card that wasn’t justified, and there was one against them that wasn’t given... These things happen, and we can’t control them beforehand. We have to stay calm, composed, and focused on the pitch."
You’ve missed a lot of objectives. What can still satisfy you, and where could you have done better? Ibrahimovic replied:
"Today is a disappointment; the Champions League was a goal. Before the season started, we wanted to win the league. We won the Supercoppa, and the Coppa Italia is still there: the club’s history is about competing for these trophies. But during the season, things don’t always go as planned. We weren’t happy, and in January, we made moves to improve, but there are no guarantees. I want to see a dominant Milan, a Milan that plays like Milan. When I arrived four or five years ago, it wasn’t the Milan everyone was used to, but from there, we grew."
Was the Scudetto-winning team dismantled too much? Ibrahimovic commented:
"I stopped playing, I’m 42... I played in that team, and I can say that today's team has more chances to win: it’s twice as strong. We won with that team, but in terms of quality, this one is better."
