Another day fully dedicated to football: Sergio Conceição led the morning training session before spending the afternoon watching videos and matches on TV.
Europa and Conference League, from early evening to late night. The routine of a coach who is giving his all to lift his team, Milan, back to European heights.
Conceição focused on defense and attack, but this time, something unusual happened: he was forced to continue even after leaving the pitch.
First, an unlikely counterattack, with the former Porto manager's spokesperson conveying all of Sergio’s dissatisfaction. Messages, carefully structured point by point and forwarded to the press, which were supposedly a transcription of the Portuguese coach's thoughts. The coach was said to have complained about functional issues in Milanello’s training facilities, the team’s poor athletic preparation, and, most notably, the lack of support from the management, the absence of a clear technical project, and the continued distance of Cardinale. Finally, he allegedly pointed out the lack of commitment from the squad, particularly from his key players.
A direct attack, nothing like the team's plays near the penalty area, often unable to hit the target. A move that shook Milan’s afternoon and risked turning an attack into a surrender: the club could not remain indifferent to such words.
Total denial from Conceicao
At that point, Milan's coach did not rush back into defense; rather, he reverted to his old role as a player and went in for a hard tackle, against his own communications staff. Sergio firmly denied everything: such thoughts do not belong to him and are completely removed from reality.
If there is something he needs to emphasize, his motto as a man of principle, he does so directly with those involved. Or, if he has messages to convey to a wider audience, he does not hesitate to speak in front of microphones, cameras, and newspapers.
He made it clear to La Gazzetta: "I suffer a lot for Milan’s current situation, but nothing that has been reported about me is true. The club is always present, and I know they are with me."
Sergio is a professional who has lived and breathed football, understands the game’s dynamics (even off the pitch), and knows how to handle them. He does not hide behind the words of others—he ensures that everything is heard in his own voice.
Conceição denies lacking the necessary comforts at Milanello, as the training center has been his home for weeks. He even more strongly and convincingly rejects the notion of feeling alone or abandoned by the club: he is in daily contact with sporting director Moncada, a near-constant presence at the training ground, and with Ibra. He did so yesterday as well.
Lately, it has been Zlatan himself who has addressed the team, reinforcing the coach’s messages. There have been moments of tension between Sergio and the squad—inevitable, especially in difficult times—but when it was time to call players to responsibility, Conceição did so publicly. He went on TV and in interviews to say that, in his career, he had coached teams technically weaker but more dedicated, whereas at Milan, he has found great players who too often lack intensity.
That the coach is disappointed is no secret. A coach and former player who built his success on commitment and effort does not tolerate lapses in focus or lack of energy in duels. Milan’s recent matches have exposed these shortcomings—more mental than technical. Painfully evident in the Champions League, lost due to Theo Hernandez’s unforgivable naivety.
Exactly one year ago, Conceição’s Porto exited the Champions League in the Round of 16, eliminated by Arsenal on penalties. A 1-0 win in the first leg, the same result in the return match. That London side was very similar to the one that, just two nights ago, put seven goals past PSV.
Sergio has repeatedly brought up that precedent in discussions with the club and the squad, emphasizing how sheer willpower can decide a match’s outcome.
Spirit before talent. That’s why the coach is considering a major overhaul of the starting eleven for tomorrow’s match in Lecce.
Clarification?
After the misunderstanding with a member of his personal communications staff, yesterday Conceição met with the club to clarify the situation and then relied on the team’s official press office. The very person responsible for the confusion made a dramatic U-turn in the evening.
And speaking of messages and statements, today Conceição will speak again on the eve of the Lecce trip. It will be his chance to reaffirm his real thoughts and publicly correct yesterday’s misinterpretation.
Oh, and then there’s also a match to prepare for: Milan has only one possible result—winning to keep their European hopes alive.
After the final whistle, Sergio will give his analysis, where there will be no room for misinterpretation. A victory will allow him to breathe and gain another week of training to prepare for the next challenge. Otherwise, there will be more words: will the club and the coach part ways?
