A year ago, by surrendering to the Nerazzurri in the second-leg derby, Milan handed the Scudetto to Inter on the field of San Siro. Upon resumption, in an attempt to stop Napoli away from home, the Rossoneri would indirectly launch Inzaghi towards his second consecutive Scudetto. These are cold springs in the Milanista part of the city, which could suddenly heat up if, in the final stretch of the season, Conceição's Milan managed to climb the standings.
More than a favor to Inter, the team would be doing a favor to itself and to the club, for which a European resurgence is necessary. The chances of a Champions League feat pass through the Maradona, where Leao and Giroud crafted an extraordinary victory in the quarter-finals of the 2022-23 edition: Olivier was replaced by Morata and then again by Gimenez, while Rafa is the talent to cling to in the attempt to climb the standings.
The environment:
The teams to surpass are five, the gap from fourth place is six points: a double triple jump. However, Milan is accustomed to acrobatics (beating Inter in the first-leg derby, winning at Real Madrid’s home, lifting the Italian Super Cup, and then getting crushed by Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord), and many of its players publicly declare their unwillingness to surrender. Most of all, its coach, Sergio Conceição, refuses to do so. The Portuguese coach prepares matches with the same meticulousness as at the beginning, despite having sensed a climate of distrust from the start: "After winning the Super Cup against Inter, we drew against Cagliari due to an individual mistake, as happens. Since then, every day new coaches are linked to the club."
It is in this environment that Conceição attempts to climb toward the top positions: and even if he manages to reach the top four, he knows that he will most likely have to pass the baton to a new coach. However, nothing distracts him from the goal: Sergio studies and works on the pitch with great intensity and determination, despite living through an unusual situation, one he has never faced in his career.
Sergio Conceicao aims to win.
Today, the coach is disappointed to find himself in the climate of contestation at San Siro, though he believes that having entire weeks of training at his disposal could help prepare the team: "When I arrived, in thirty days we immediately played nine matches. We didn’t have time to train, which is extremely difficult and means that I can’t imprint my identity on the team." The coach vented yesterday at the 'Coimbra Football Congress 2025'.
"My goal is to win the Champions League, and that's why I chose my current club. I knew the difficulties I would face, in a context where I didn't choose the team and with the obligation to win. But Milan remains a historic club, which can give me the chance to get closer to one of the goals of my career, after winning so much in Portugal."
Winning is the verb to be translated into the future as well: Milan will face Fiorentina, Atalanta, Roma, and Bologna—all teams currently ahead of them in the standings. And above all, there is the present: without success in Naples, making further plans will be difficult.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
