GdS: Tactics, mentality, dressing room – how Conceicao changed Milan in five moves

SempreMilan

·8 gennaio 2025

GdS: Tactics, mentality, dressing room – how Conceicao changed Milan in five moves

Sergio Conceicao achieved the rather remarkable feat of winning a trophy two games into his time in charge at AC Milan, but it is because he made an instant impact.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport recall, no matter what happens from here Milan will have a trophy under their belt this season which seemed very difficult to imagine a few weeks ago. Conceicao has been with the team for less than two weeks, but is making his impact felt.

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Mentality

Paulo Fonseca said that the team struggled with the mental aspect, and Conceicao inherited a team that doubted themselves, like seen in the first half against Juventus. And during the break he didn’t give tactical orders, but he reset the players’ heads.

He told the squad that they have to be brave and that they are a strong team. If 10 minutes of motivational speech were enough to heal the patient, the coach’s job would be decidedly easy, but he certainly struck a chord with a few players.

Making a pass forward rather than yet another backwards was one of the things he emphasised, as well as having the courage to keep a higher defensive line. Eliminating the fear of trying a dribble, moving into spaces off the ball and other things were focused on.

The result of all this is two comebacks and two victories against a team that had lost only once in the season (Juve, against Stuttgart) and another that had done so on two occasions (the first derby of the year and Bayer Leverkusen). This awareness will generate further endorphins.

Attacking phase

Beyond winning the cup, the greatest quality with which Milan returns from the Arab trip is certainly the mental strength that made it possible to overturn the deficit in both matches. Belief, therefore.

But there is a part of the pitch that cannot go unnoticed, and which is a great note of merit: Inter had gone five games in a row without conceding a goal, Juve (as well as the Nerazzurri) have the second best defence in the league.

The result? The Rossoneri scored a total of five goals. It could have been even more, especially against the Nerazzurri. In the second half of the derby, Milan had three clear scoring opportunities (Pulisic, Reijnders, Morata), plus the three that ended up in the net.

It was a level of production that was abundant, especially in proportion to the level of the opponent. It means that the game has started to flow again, as demonstrated by the moves – beautiful and tactically clean – that led to the equaliser and the winner vs. Inter.

Tactics

If mentality was the main aspect on which Conceiçao had to intervene, the tactical part did not go unnoticed. The Portuguese proved to be a coach capable of reading the needs dictated by the match, intervening with regards to the formation.

Against Juve he started with a 4-3-3 that at the beginning of the second half became 4-2-3-1 (Bennacer out, Musah in) and then, half an hour from the end, 4-4-2. Milan won the semi-final with the game system most historically dear to Conceiçao.

In the derby, however, the initial setup was a 4-2-3-1 never seen before with Alex Jimenez as a right winger and Yunus Musah in midfield. It then became a 4-2-4 in the last quarter of an hour, or rather when Milan carved out the comeback.

Dressing room

One of the most complex issues was the dynamic within the locker room, because some players had not bonded with Fonseca and were therefore ‘disconnected’ both in their work during the week and in the game.

The way of dealing with Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao was spot on. Conceicao dedicated himself to both of them on personal terms, for each of them with the language and attitude they needed.

In particular, the shot of the coach holding the Frenchman close when Ismael Bennacer spoke to the team in a huddle after the Juve win and the words said publicly about Leao after the final win were striking.

Rafa did not mince his words: “I needed these”. Then there is also the captain issue: the times of Fonseca’s shared leadership are probably over. With Davide Calabria on the bench, the armband ended up on Mike Maignan’s arm in both games.

Choices

Any new coach changes something in the team after arriving. A smart coach, however, does not dismember: he shuffles a little and then sees how it goes.

Conceiçao has three or four new faces. In defence, Fikayo Tomori is back in the news, a clear message to Juve’s courtship. If Thiaw, as it seems, is considered a fixed point, the Englishman will battle with Matteo Gabbia for a spot: an intriguing challenge.

In midfield, Bennacer – when he is back to normal – can provide that verticality on which the Portuguese’s game is based. Musah is destined to increase his playing time considerably, being able to occupy more positions.