Milan is preparing to face Inter in the Italian Super Cup final, after eliminating Juventus with a landslide victory. An absolute debut on the red and black bench for Sergio Conceicao, who has only been replacing his compatriot, Fonseca, for a few days.
Trying to immediately bring about a change in the direction and mentality of the team, which was also seen during the press conference of his presentation, where there was no shortage of provocative reactions: "Lucky that I debuted in the semi-finals and now I'm playing in a final? Aren't you the Juventus guy who talks about luck?"
Conceição's provocative response in the pre-final press conference
A somewhat calmer atmosphere, but no less focused: Milan is feeling less tense after the victory over Juventus, which was overturned in the last minutes of the second half in the semi-final held in Riyadh, giving the team the opportunity to fight for a title in a difficult season after a weak start. Sergio Conceição understands this, he does not hide it in the press conference, showing that something is really changing, leaving nothing to chance. Thus, when asked about his debut that coincided with the Super Cup, he gave a stinging answer: "Am I lucky to start with a semi-final and then a final? Luck has no value if you don't work hard and are not serious. And you talk about luck? Aren't you Juventus?"
The hunger for victory that Conceicao seeks at Milan
Fate helped to some extent, thanks to the decisive own goal that brought success, but Milan won it on the field: “We must always show hunger for victory, we must score goals, belief alone is not enough. We will have one less day of rest and some players are recovering, but these are not excuses: we must look at ourselves and take our responsibilities,” emphasized the red and black coach. Regarding the match, he added: “We have taken half the step, now we must restore belief, even in the midst of these difficulties.”
A Milan that has retained some aspects of Fonseca, but has also brought a new approach, which was also noticed by Inzaghi, a former teammate of his, linked by years at Lazio and Eriksson: "Simone will be my friend before and after the match, but not during it. We are people of the field, there is never a lack of respect. We have Sven in our hearts, Italy has been a second home for me and I am proud to coach a historic club like Milan".
A Milan that may not have an important element available, such as Leao, of whom Conceicao doubts: "We are waiting to see if he will be ready for the last training session. I hope the team is better than me... but I really want to prepare for the match in the best way and give the boys the right instructions to try to beat Inter."