At the end of the match between Milan and Atalanta, which ended with a victory for the Bergamo side and was valid for Matchday 33 of the Serie A Enilive championship, Rossoneri coach Sergio Conceição appeared, as usual, at the press conference. Read all his statements below.
A different match from the others: has the derby been on your mind?
"What I've always said is that the players who come in bring something extra, today that wasn’t the case. The first half had 45 balanced minutes, but in the first 20 we sat too deep compared to what we had prepared during the week. We were up against a team that has been doing a very good job for years. We lacked aggression; we were well-positioned, but too deep. The last 15 minutes were good, with more balls played in the attacking half, where we created situations in which the final pass made the difference—and we weren’t sharp enough. We started the second half very well, and on their first counterattack, they scored. It was a type of goal we had worked on during the week."
The derby—can 90 minutes change the perception? Will you ask for something more? Conceicao replied:
"The match is important, and the team is aware of that. We are conscious of it: it's a semi-final beyond being a derby—we really want to play the final in Rome. But honestly, a club like Milan can't afford to save anything. The atmosphere after winning the Super Cup wasn’t particularly positive—people immediately started talking about the bench. For me, nothing changes: I've won a few things, I've been in football for many years, and pressure motivates me. Coming into this environment is great, but the lack of respect isn’t. In the end, let’s look at the numbers—how long has it been since Milan won two titles? In the end, you're judged on what you've done—in my case, over six months."
Disrespect—are you referring to the rumors about your job?
"Every single day. It feels like there’s nobody here. It's not like I came from another planet—I've been a coach for 14 years already. The pressure to win is good, and it’s something I also experienced as a footballer."
Are you planning to use a three-man defense again against Inter? Conceicao commented:
"Now we focus on preparing for the match and we’ll see on Wednesday. Against Inter, we always add a fifth element in defense—we know they use a lot of width in their play."
