AC Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao claimed the talk of his future isn’t important at the moment, and that he is not a fan of the new formation.
While it is difficult to surge up the table so late in the season, Milan certainly took another step in the right direction by beating Venezia 2-0 at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on Sunday afternoon.
The goals came at the beginning and the end of the match. The first was scored by Christian Pulisic who slotted home after an assist from Youssouf Fofana, then Santiago Gimenez made sure of the points deep into added time.
What will be most pleasing for Milan is the fact that they kept a third clean sheet in four games, showing that the switch to a three-man defence has improved the resilience of the rearguard.
Conceicao spoke to DAZN after the final whistle to give his thoughts on the game, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
Today, Milan started well, then dropped but the team wanted to bring home the victory. The team had the desire…
“Correct analysis. It wasn’t easy after the derby to have the concentration that we’ve lacked in these months. Competitive concentration is fundamental. It’s not easy to come here, it’s a team that puts a lot of pressure, that has its qualities, that plays directly, has fast players up front.
“Even with the post-derby atmosphere, having this desire to take the three points. Then it’s unusual to play here, there’s the boat, only the palm trees are missing (smiles). It was fundamental to win today to give solidity to the victory in the Cup semi-final. It was very important for us.”
How much do the team want to win their second trophy this season? Fofana said that they are the only team that can win two domestic trophies, almost as if to say that it is more important than a top four finish…
“I really don’t agree with Fofana, we are at Milan and it is not more important than the top four places. Here the objectives are clear, then there are years that don’t go well like this one. Then there is still something to win and for Milan we live a bit of these titles.
“It is important to give different images from the ones we have given in these months. We are finding the balance that we always talked about and it is fundamental on a technical level.
“Di Francesco also said that we are very strong on an attacking level, on a defensive level so we had to improve something. I am not a fan of this formation and this system, but I also have to adapt to the Italian league and to the team and the characteristics of the players in front of me.”
How is Gimenez doing after the goal?
“He knows he’s not at his best. He told me right after the game that the game didn’t go well but the goal was important. That’s important: putting positive things in, not going for the negative. He has to look at what he has to do, how he can work for the team with the ball and without the ball.
“Then the goals definitely come because he’s good and the group knows his qualities. We have faith in him and in all the others.”
Are the defensive hierarchies defined?
“We prepare for the game and I think about the players who can give me the chance to win games from the start. Then I always talk about the importance of the bench and the group, they are really very good from this point of view. Sometimes even too much, they are too nice.”
Does Conceicao want to stay Milan?
“Conceiçao is not important at the moment, Milan is important. I work many hours a day with my staff. Then there is also losing games like what happened in the past months, in some really bad games my players and I don’t see ourselves in these games.
“So we are working hard. In a month or so I will also say what I want. It could be that I also have other thoughts, like going on holiday to the Algarve in Portugal for ten years, I don’t know (smiles).”
Not a fan of the new formation!
Does that mean he liked giving up 29 goals in 22 matches?
I’ll take 1 goal conceeded in 4 any day over what his 4231 was delivering.
You would leave this bunch of incompetents just because they play your favorite formation with 5 in defense? And fired a coach who doesn’t want to play with 5 in defense? Which big European team plays with 5 in defense, except Inter, but it is not the level of Real, Barca, Liverpool.
3 CBs does not mean you are not attacking. E.g. Atalanta.
If it is the right formation to safely unlock the talent on your wings, then so be it.
:I am not a fan of this formation and this system, but I also have to adapt to the Italian league and to the team and the characteristics of the players in front of me.”
The words of a man who is not the right coach for us. How do you play a system you don’t like? How do you not like a system THAT IS WORKING FOR YOU? How did it take him 3 months to figure out that he has to adapt his formation/tactics to the league and players he has at his disposal? All of this is elementary. Coppa Italia or no Coppa Italia, we need a fresh start on the bench this summer.
Please tell us who’s the right coach for Milan, since you’re so dumb to comprehend what he said.
I can always see hates in you anytime you comment.
I say give him some respect, he came in and won a trophy immediately and of course the wheels fell off in the league but honestly speaking the guy came in December with no idea who these players are in any form of detail that is needed and he has no time to implement any changes that can be meaningful when your at the last half of the season. He is lucky he got those two weeks to do some tactical training and it seems to have been absorbed by most of the players.
But I agree with him, this approach in the game on playing on the counter is what he doesn’t like because honestly it is the worst fit for these players considering the defensive side of these players. They are more equipped to play a version of this formation that involves playing on the front foot at least until they score enough foals to kill a game off and then go counter attacking. But this team cannot defend and play counter attacking football from minute 10 of the game. They lose control of games.
You would leave this bunch of incompetents just because they play your favorite formation with 5 in defense? And fired a coach who doesn’t want to play with 5 in defense? Which big European team plays with 5 in defense, except Inter, but it is not the level of Real, Barca, Liverpool.
He only knows how to comment and observe the formations as he memorized them from the games. Allegri will because he plays with 5 in defense, and he won’t say what Allegri would do with this team if he took over in January.
Blah blah. Where in my post do I say I like a 5 defender formation? Where in my post do I say “bring Allegri”? Who the f*ck is talking about Allegri anyway?
By the way, it’s been a decade since an Italian club made the CL final NOT using a 5 man backline. The two times since, 2017 (Juventus) and 2023 (Inter), both clubs used 5 man back lines (and why not mention Atalanta NEARLY knocking PSG out of the QF CL in 2020). Why? Because when you are playing clubs that can drop 100M on a single player without much thought, one of the ways to nullify the insane amount of talent those clubs can field is by being more defensive. Inter could have won that final too. Then from the other side, if you have that kind of money you can buy (and pay) world class defenders and midfielders that will allow you to not have to play with an extra man in defense. This goes to your comment about “incompetents”. We wouldn’t have incompetents on the field if we had the money to get better players. So until we can sign “non-incompetents”, we’ll have to play with a 5 man backline, otherwise we’ll not see another clean sheet again. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, numbskull.
Those form a tion is a stop gap right now… let not go crazy. Really is more about making it work is short amount of time
Pioli also played with the formation, but it didn’t save him.
Conceicao has shown that he can be versatile, what else do you need from a coach?
Let him another season,if he can qualify for Europa league and won coppa Italian trophy,will should retrieve our player back on loan etc salaamakaer,bennacer, ribareli, pobeger,and kalulu,and go for another striker,sell leao an get another winger from bologna.
Well done Sergio. He said that this 5-man defense system is getting results right now, but he doesn’t like it. And I respect him even more for not liking him, because throughout history Milan doesn’t like him either. Big clubs don’t like him. It’s a katanaco formation.
I was considering if Milan should keep him after all, given that finally the team seems to be improving and settling down into a decent game plan. 4 games, 9 goals scored, 1 conceded, 3 clean sheets.
And then I learn that he doesn’t like it. Does he prefer to lose instead of winning???
He is making it sound like it wasn’t even his idea and someone talked him into using 3-4-3.
Is it his sin that he doesn’t like the catenaccio formation with 5 defenders? Or if he continues to change players who are not for Milan and plays in an attacking formation? Does Conte like 4-3-3? I’ll tell you right away, no, he doesn’t like it, but he adapted because there are players like that. If Conte stays in Napoli, he will change the players and bring those who are suitable for him for 3-5-2. Imagine winning the title with 4-3-3 and changing the formation.
Yeah, because 1-4-4-2 with 2 holding 6’s formation that he won the most with it in Portugal isn’t one of standard setups for defensive, counterattacking football…
Just stop spreading bs,
Exactly.
I ask you: Which big club plays with 5 in defense? I don’t know them. It is the backward Italian formation that Berlusconi shuddered at. He tolerated it under Zacheroni and then banned it after him. Capello said it was a retrograde formation. In modern football, the 4-3-3 formation gives the best results. And I don’t know what you like in that formation with 5 players in defense and whether next season Milan should play like that or proactive modern football ????
If you had a little more knowledge about Milan you would know that Catenaccio is in the roots of this club. 1 golden era in the 60’s was created thanks to Nereo Rocco’s 1-1-3-3-3, then evolved in 1-3-3-2-2 lineup and his the best stars like Rivera, Altafini and Cesare Maldini on the libero position. That’s why this is so stupid thinking.
All should depend on the characteristics of purchased players, not some deranged imaginations about modern football.
Sez- If you knew anything about football, you wouldn’t have written anything, because you don’t know that football has evolved and changed a lot. According to you, Milan should play that kind of football again 🤣🤣🤣. Or from the Berlusconi era, because in his era he was much more successful. Milan has to be a world club that will make everyone tremble, and that means trying to reach the best, and that cannot be done with football from the 1960s’.
I’m in favor of keeping him another season with the option of a second, provided we win the Copa Italia.
He has shown to be flexible by choosing results over his own preferences. And assuming we win Copa, that will be two trophies for the season.
If he can continue in this vein next season, beating the smaller sides- Milan will be a dark horse in all competitions.
Thank you for explaining this to those that don’t really understand what they read. This is the point when Serge said that he doesn’t like the formation. Having said that, I still don’t think he should stay beyond summer.
Zašto? Zato što ne voli katenaćo formaciju sa 5 odbrambenih? Ako mu je to grijeh, onda …
Nemam ništa protiv njega apsolutno. Nije loš trener s obzirom kad je došao i kakav je tim naslijedio. Više sam za “Italijanizaciju” jer bez toga nema uspjeha. Takav nam je DNK. Plus formacija sa 2 špica.
Čitas glupe italijanske novinare. Milan nije italijanski klub nego svjetski. To je priča ovih što hoće provincijski klub da naprave od Milana. Da se razumijemo, nisam ja protiv italijanskih igrača, ali koji su to? Ovi što nešto valjaju su preskupi, a ovo što se može dovesti ništa ne bi promijenili koliko su Romanjoli i Bertolacci kada su došli.
The whole ‘if he wins two trophies’ thing is getting on my nerves.
The super coppa is a joke tournament. Shouldn’t be considered much more than a preseason trophy. Especially now that they admit 4 clubs.
2nd place last year. We didn’t really earn the right to participate in it.
Other than the league coming up with a bogus new format to have yet more content to sell.
Super coppa should just be the two winners from last year that earned the right to participate.