AC Milan's head coach, Sérgio Conceicao, speaks to the media in a press conference today in view of tomorrow's match against Cagliari at the San Siro stadium.
Here's what he had to say:
How important is it to keep your feet on the ground at this moment?
"Absolutely. I think anyone who feels satisfied at Milan over a Supercoppa win doesn’t belong here. We enjoyed it a lot, and we deserved it, but we’re 17 points behind the top of the table. A club that has won 19 Serie A titles and 7 Champions League trophies cannot afford to be content with a Supercoppa. We need to start winning and convincing already from tomorrow to climb as high as possible. The Supercoppa is behind us."
What emotions will you feel tomorrow at San Siro? Conceicao replied:
"I apologize, but there are no emotions. There's the usual adrenaline of a match with a historic club. But during the preparation, I have too many things on my mind to think about what I’ll feel. Surely, before the referee's whistle, I’ll feel something, I’m not made of stone. But my main focus is on preparing the players to the fullest."
On the captain’s armband, he said:
"Every player must take their own responsibilities; the ultimate leader is me. Everyone has their duties, and you won’t see me stirring up controversy about who is or isn’t the captain."
On the transfer market, Conceicao said:
What is it that you did to get this reaction out of Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez?
"Changing the staff is already something different. I was a player for 25 years, and I know how things are. They need to believe in your message. One great thing I found here is the acceptance of everything we have worked on. We've made changes on an organizational level, and that makes me happy. I found a very positive locker room."
Will he recover players who played less under Fonseca, like Ruben Loftus-Cheek?
"Loftus-Cheek is not at his physical best. For me, everyone starts on the same level. Day by day, I’ll see in training, and it also depends on the strategy I have for each match, who can start and who can help from the bench. No one is an undisputed starter; everyone must fight for a spot on the team."
What is the situation with injuries? Conceicao replied:
"There is a small issue with Ruben; he won’t be available tomorrow for the match. He had a setback yesterday, which is unfortunate because he was improving physically."
What is the best tactical setup for the team, in your opinion?
"The important thing is to find a good balance for the team. Right now, a three-man midfield might feel a bit safer for the squad. Once there is a better understanding of what we want, we can also play with a 4-4-2: we’re working on it. It takes time; that's normal. But during the match, I make changes when something different is needed — they pay me for that, to help the team based on what I see. Different situations are worked on in training. Today’s players are intelligent; they need to know what work to do to perform at their best. Rafa? He needs to run. Whether as a winger or a forward, he must use his quality to serve the team, even off the ball. We’re talking about a collective process, not an individual one."
After Madrid, Milan went to Cagliari and drew... Conceicao answered:
"The day after, I talked about this. I watched Real-Milan and Cagliari-Milan, and I discussed it with the players. It’s not acceptable. The hardest thing isn’t reaching the top, but staying there. It’s understandable to not always play brilliantly, but you still need to have a solid foundation. If you have that foundation, you’ll end up winning the match because you’re a quality team."
Conceicao on the new rhythms:
"Every coach has their own ideas and working methods. Whether they’re right or wrong is determined by the results. It’s not like I have the exact formula. I’ve lost matches and titles at Porto, but I’ve also won. So far, I’ve done well with my approach. But if the results don’t come, the one who pays the price is the coach — we always have our bags packed. I’ll try to make sure that doesn’t happen. Players today are too pampered, but so am I. For me, work is enough. They let themselves go; it wasn’t like this before. In 1996, I faced Milan with Porto, and we won 3-2. Now things are different; you have to focus the players. This isn’t a hobby, it’s a job. It’s not a hobby."
How did you gain the locker room's trust in such a short time?
“There was the players' pride, and I spoke about this. It's a great group of players; they accept what we say, even if the rules are different from before. This humility to accept rules that even go against their habits is fundamental for me. They gave a fantastic response, coming back to win against Juve and Inter. But that's in the past; now we need to improve."
Conceicao added:
"They have to improve a lot, a lot. There are moments in the game that I don’t like. What we’ve done has already been done by others, even with much heavier titles. We’re trying to do something and reach the end of the season not completely satisfied, but still in the top four: that's what we’re working on.”
Does Rashford improve Milan?
“You try in every way (laughs). In Portugal, it’s even worse. Here, we talk about football, and then occasionally someone gives it a go... Rashford is a great player, like many others. Let’s see what happens."
Do you find any similarities between Milan and other teams you have coached? Conceicao commented:
"I find a great club and a country passionate about football, with a fanbase that lives with the club in an incredible way. At Porto, they hadn’t won for four years, and that wasn’t normal. In this sense, yes, there is a similarity. But the teams are different, the football is different. Two great clubs. At Nantes, however, it was a bit different from Porto and Milan."
How did you manage the victory? Against Inter, the same defensive issues were evident as with Fonseca's Milan and Pioli's recent Milan… Conceicao answered:
"Without a doubt. One of the things that didn’t work was that we made mistakes even in pressing, in the timing and the areas we chose. There are things we undoubtedly need to improve. The way I see it, living a success means immediately thinking about the next challenge ahead, which is much more important than the one we've just experienced. I celebrated, I even danced, but on the plane, I was already thinking about how to keep the players calm and that the most important game is tomorrow against Cagliari."
