AC Milan won the Supercoppa Italiana last night and it was an unforgettable final as they came from two goals down to beat city rivals Inter 3-2.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how this morning Milan fans in the office and at school are talking about nothing else other than the derby win. After a difficult season so far, the players delivered a triumph just a few days into the tenure of new head coach Sergio Conceicao.
In his victory speech to the team, Zlatan Ibrahimovic said: “Luckily Conceiçao had a fever, otherwise who knows how many televisions he would have broken.” What happened? A plasma screen fell on the field at half-time of the match against Juventus after a slap from the head coach, who was not happy with what he saw.
Conceiçao – who is an obsessive, a bit like Antonio Conte – took the whole team to the video room on the eve of the match. No films in the bedroom, no card games, no PlayStation. From 9:30 pm for about an hour, Milan watched film of the Inter players.
There was no shortage of mistakes on the pitch and the two goals prove it, but Milan were prepared and above all mentally focused: they never gave up the game, even when the score was 0-2. There is no definitive proof yet but the impression is that a coach like that will do this team good.
Conceicao had a fever as he admitted in his press conferences (even if his eyes showed it), while Matteo Gabbia was forced to skip training before the final. Tammy Abraham and Strahinja Pavlovic above all were also struck by the flu.
A background story: the team practically ran out of supplies of medicines brought to Riyadh. Of course there would have been no problem in acquiring new ones, but the detail makes it clear how many people were sick (in the team and in the delegation) and how Milan played the two games.
Calciomercato.com add some more details on how Conceicao experienced the final. At the full-time whistle he hugged his team, he celebrated with the men on the bench and with those on the pitch, all while tears ran down his face.
In celebrating the winner by Tammy Abraham, the Portuguese even injured himself. He might have had a bit too much enthusiasm after the goal, sprinting and picking up a muscle problem in the process.
After the match, before receiving the medal, the former Porto boss was treated on the bench and showed how his ankle was bleeding, clearly having been cut by something in the chaos that ensued.
🔴⚫️ Conceicao spilling blood for this Milan.
Getting medical treatment with his players cheering him on @CBSSportsGolazo pic.twitter.com/z9xVknI8za
— Marco Messina (@IFTVMarco) January 6, 2025
In the dressing room, a big party followed. As he had done during his time at Porto, the coach celebrated by dancing to the delight of his players who were cheering him on with a cigar in his mouth.
Oi, oi, oi 🕺#InterMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/4sU4tnqwMz
— AC Milan (@acmilan) January 6, 2025
It is a night that will live long in the memories of the players, fans and of course Conceicao, but it must be a starting point. Scenes like this – maybe without the blood and the sickness – must become more common.
The beginning of his journey can only be described in one word – a masterpiece. Let’s see how he takes on the usual tough challenges for us against low block teams like Cagliari and Como who play the game of their lives against Milan. We’ve dropped so many points that were up for grabs even with this unbalanced squad. Cagliari was one of them, the game with peak bad defending on our part. I hope Sergio can fix the defence permanently.
I agree 100%.
It’s not like we didn’t win great games this season already and it’s easy to get the boys motivated in a derby when a win means an immediate trophy.
Our players had too often tendencies to think that games against low level opposition are won before they started and they always get caught napping. This is a problem of overconfidence but also shows a lack of discipline.
I hope Conceição already took note of those problem of ours because we need to pull a good streak of wins in serie A.
Como might become a powerhouse in the future because of their rich owners and fabregas. Anyway congrats for the victory, i hope Sergio conceicao brings the fear factor back to Milan and even in Europe.
Atmost there will be like Newcastle in the future
Stop it. I’m already tempted to jump ship.
Fabregas is an underrated coach. The way he’s making Como, a team with practically zero big or medium named players is above relegation zone right now. The technical abilities of those players are poor but what is shining is he’s extracting a nice game and structure to the team. I do hope they stay up.
Nico Paz, Real Madrid youth player which Real could buy back like ALex, plays for Como, he has potential and technical ability.
It’s so easy to see Sergio has much more personality than Fonseca, and the players respond to this. I’m trying not to lament us not having him from day one. If we get Top 4 and go deep in both tournaments left, it will be a massive turnaround.
Now we focus on serie A and champion league. We have to win the both of cup. We never give up for that.
Conceição’s tears, his bleeding ankle, his muscle injury, show how much he cares. One week into his tenure at Milan, he is fully committed and has a lot of heart; already looks like a true rossonero. The players see it and react to it positively. What a great guy, this Conceição, and what a difference from the mediocre Fonseca! Several players have already praised him that his enthusiasm and motivational push have already made a big difference, and it shows.
I wouldn’t get too carried away just yet. Milan had some very impressive wins under FOnseca. Beating Real MAdrid in Champions League and actually a more impressive win over Inter than this one.
His problem was dropping points against weaker teams and getting the team to play well and play hard against bottom table teams, which is a problem Pioli had as well. If Conceicao can can get these players to give this same kind of effort against smaller clubs than we will really have a change.
But if we drop points to Cagliari on the weekend, what will you say then? Is it really on the coach or on the players?
The difference is Conceicao has the record to back it up. He had seven successful years at Porto and he knows more about tactics and how to influence players more directly.
Conceicao is several levels above Fonseca. I do agree we need to wait and see, but I doubt he will let complacency slide in any game. He isn’t that type of person.
Look, while I’m optimistic, I’m fully aware that it may be too little too late because of the HUGE damage that the mediocre loser named Paulo Fonseca (and the clowns who hired him) did already to Milan’s season which may be past the recovery point. I wish, first, that the clowns who manage us had hired Conceicao to start with (he was my favorite option in the summer and I said so; this is not in hindsight); second, I wish that the clowns at least had corrected their blunder sooner than at season mid-point.
But what is done, is done, and all we can hope for at this point is to still make top 4, to qualify for the next UCL. If it happens, I will gauge Conceicao’s half-season tenure as successful (regardless of the current UCL and the current Coppa Italia). The main goal is the top 4, not a cup, and not the current UCL which is unrealistic. Will we make top 4? It may or may not happen. Even a good coach like Conceicao can’t accomplish miracles, given how many teams are ahead of us, and given that he jumped on a messy train that had already left the station.
So, if we lose to Cagliari, if we don’t make top 4, I won’t be upset at Conceicao because I know how hard it is to re-float a sinking ship midway through the trip, without the benefit of the pre-season, without several weeks to prepare your team for the season, and without the possibility of influencing the signings.
I mean, Fonseca wanted Emerson. We got the dead weight. What can Conceicao do about that? He can hope for a better RB down the road but it probably won’t happen in January. We need a good deputy for Theo. We need a real DM. We need a prolific striker.
Conceicao won’t be able to fix everything without a strong Mercato.
But I’m hoping for a good 2025/26 season under Conceicao, and I’m already grateful for Inter’s players’ and Inter’s president’s faces after the Supercoppa derby. Whatever happens to Conceicao’s Milan after such a late seasonal start for him, won’t ever delete the joy of what happened on Friday and yesterday.
Sergio Conceicao so much reminds me of Pioli
A coach who is like a father and friend to his players and staffs.
Sergio is that kinda coach and this helps a lot, unlike Fonseca who only give instructions but his man management is so poor and kills morale of players…
I just hope we get the joy we did under Pioli’s tenure back and see a Milan where everyone fights for the other person and the love and unity is unamatched
Tonight they have free time to celebrate, but tomorrow, like Conceicao said, team must focus on Cagliari games.
But we must optimistic that we can win the game. And I think there is chance for Milan back on track, and winning scudetto.
I hope he didn’t set the bar too high. Expectations must be realistic. He still has a lot to do with and learn about this team and his players …
I certainly do hope that players remain more responsive to his ways and his energy throughout the rest of the season. The man is a mentality monster. I hope he keeps this team constantly improving and progressing …
He’s already won me over with breaking the tv. Ain’t going to put up with half assed displays.
I didn’t watch the disgraceful cover up and the universe rewarded me with the game of the season .
Honestly it’s like Moscow now and Berlin in the 1940s hosting a game.
How is modern football so unashamedly obsessed with money that it is willing to sell its soul to one of the most brutal regimes on the planet.
And the media whose colleague was murdered by the regime.
This disgraceful spectacle will never mask the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and all of the other dissidents, or people who were simply the wrong religion, gender or sexuality.
Wasn’t football invented in on the most brutal colonial empires of all time ?
What a moment of joy. I have never been so happy in this manner for a long time.
Thank you Mister for your wonderful intervention and understanding. You are the saviour we see now to take AC Milan out of the miry clay.
Forza Milan.