Sergio Conceição surprised everyone yesterday afternoon by opting for an almost defensive lineup for the away match against Empoli: both Leao and Pulisic started on the bench, not in top condition, as did Santi Giménez; instead, Jiménez and Musah played on the wings.
A choice that, to put it bluntly, did not pay off, forcing the Portuguese coach to reconsider and make the only possible move at halftime: bring on all three. A decision that may have seemed obvious, but it proved to be decisive.
Milan's “magical” substitutions
This morning, Corriere della Sera described Milan’s changes at the Castellani as “magical,” and indeed, being able to introduce players like Leão, Pulisic, and Giménez mid-game naturally instills some fear in opponents.
Milan immediately transformed offensively, putting Empoli under pressure. The home side briefly dared to dream when they had a numerical advantage, but it wasn’t enough. Christian Pulisic took charge, providing two assists: the first for Rafael Leao, who came on with the right mindset and scored with a header; the second for Santi Giménez, who netted his debut Serie A goal and delivered a performance described as “essential” and “ruthless.”
Courage and balance are always needed at Milan:
More than just the decision to bring on the three attackers—something that was objectively inevitable at halftime given the poor first half and Milan’s need to win—Sergio Conceição made the real difference with his reaction to Tomori’s red card: no defensive substitutions to contain the situation, but rather, he kept all his attacking players on the pitch. His post-match explanation was clear: “I took a risk, I wanted to win. Drawing against a club like Milan feels like losing two points to me.” The second half was excellent, but the road ahead is still long—especially considering that the four attacking stars (yesterday’s key trio plus João Félix) will hardly be able to coexist for an entire match while maintaining balance. There’s still work to be done, but it’s all about taking things game by game.
