Football Italia
·30 December 2024
Football Italia
·30 December 2024
Sergio Conceicao has given his first interview as the new head coach of Milan, just a few hours after he was appointed as the successor to his compatriot Paulo Fonseca.
‘With good organisation and with the players’ quality, we’ll do good things this year,” was the overriding message of the former Porto boss’s first chat with the Milanese press.
Conceicao did not hide the fact that he and his new squad of players have plenty of work to do if they are to make a success of the remainder of the 2024-25 season, as Fonseca left the team in eight place and 14 points off the top of the table.
epa11761057 Milan’s coach Paulo Fonseca looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Atalanta BC and AC Milan, in Bergamo, Italy, 06 December 2024. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA
The new Rossoneri coach also admitted that he does not have much time to step back and process all of the emotions of becoming the head coach of Milan due to the scale of the task at hand.
“I’m proud to take on this adventure. The emotions are temporary, because we have work to do,” Conceicao told Milan’s internal media channels. “We need a warm heart and a cool head to do our best and win matches. That’s what we want.
“We represent a great club on a global scale, and we have to be worthy of this great club.
“We don’t have much time, that’s absolutely not an excuse, but I have to do my best with the time at our disposal so that the players understand what they need to do, firstly as individuals but also as a team, to be the best that we can be every single game.
“There is no other option, there is a lot of work to be done here with the team. We’ll need a strong mentality and with good organisation and the players’ quality, we will do good things this year.
MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Coppa Italia match between AC Milan and Sassuolo at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 03, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
“Words are just words, I need to prove myself with results. For that, we’ll need a lot of work from everyone, not just from the players but also from the staff who make the Milanello facility what it is.
“We’re here to work. What I want to tell the fans is that we’ll work hard a lot and become a winning side and become a team worthy of this great club.”
🗣️ Ready to take on this great adventure: Coach Conceição’s first thoughts as Milan manager#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/l1j0C5L9bw — AC Milan (@acmilan) December 30, 2024
Conceicao’s first match in charge of Milan will come in the Supercoppa Italiana, where the Rossoneri are due to play against Juventus in the semi-final on January 3. There could be a chance of silverware in Conceicao’s second game in charge of the club, which will be the Supercoppa final against either Inter or Atalanta on January 6.
Conceicao’s first Serie A match in charge of Milan will come on January 11, at home to Cagliari.