Rafael Leao has revealed his belief that AC Milan did not play ‘good football’ against Bologna but were simply following the orders of Sergio Conceicao.
Milan’s already slim hopes of making the top four were dealt perhaps a decisive blow as they lost 2-1 against Bologna on Thursday night. As is perhaps to be expected, the fall-out has begun and the Curva Sud made their thoughts known after the full-time whistle.
The Rossoneri cannot be accused of playing free-flowing attacking football as they were dominated in virtually every metric. It was clear from the first minute that Conceicao wanted the team to go direct and target space in behind, with Milan even resembling a long-ball team at times.
Of course, it all came unstuck in the second half. Leao spoke to DAZN after the game and seemed to hold back at risk of causing a ‘mess’, while he also answered questions at a post-match press conference. MilanNews transcribed his words.
How do you analyse that game and this negative run?
“Very difficult situation, obviously, but there are still many games to play. Now let’s try to play a good game at home against Lazio to show everyone what we can do. Today was a strange game, we didn’t play good football, but we played the way the coach wanted, that is with the long ball; the goal came like that.
“Fantastic attitude in the first half, we were good on the pitch, tactically everyone was fine. Then we scored a strange goal and I don’t want to talk about it. But beyond that, the attitude of the first half, if we had also put it into the second half, it would have been a different game. It’s our fault.”
Is this the worst moment since you’ve been at Milan?
“It’s a period like this, but we know that now we have to show something more. It’s a question of staying in the Champions League or not, and we all want to play in it. I’m sure that this match at San Siro can be a starting point.”
After the equalising goal the team went haywire, and not for the first time…
“When Conceicao arrived, we won after going behind. Even against Parma. But in the last few games we’ve been struggling when we concede goals. Maybe, given how the goal came today, it created something for us…
“We have to see what we did well and what we didn’t. We have to look forward, me, the older ones, the coach, everyone. The season doesn’t end here.”
What did you say to each other in the dressing room?
“What is said in the dressing room doesn’t come out. What I can say is that we are disappointed, we are not happy, today was a final. We have to get back up.”
If you’re talking about finals, why do you then enter the field with this attitude?
“You think we didn’t want to win?! Football is like this. We have to do what the coach asks. We did what he asked, then it’s the details. Maybe if we put something more into each action we wouldn’t have conceded goals.
“We have to learn from our mistakes. Even when we win. We have to raise our heads and keep working.”
Haha. Leao is indirectly telling yall that Conceição doesn’t know what he’s doing. Long balls? In 2025?!?! What a terrible gameplan from a terrible coach. Smdh.
We were managing to beat teams from behind but now that luck has run out. lol.
What a foolish comment!
The long ball tactic gave the only goal of the match…in previous games, the team has played the passing game (tiki taka) and it produced nothing either!
The team’s creative energy is low and once the opponent is able to read them, they go under. Look at teams who play like us…once the creative magic is gone, they crumble.
Our wing play is dead at the moment so the 442 or 443 formation is not working.
Fofana is dead meat at the moment and cannot help our midfield. Reindjers blows hot and cold too. Musah is all energy and poor finishing at the moment.
Did you see the quality of our defenders marking yesterday? Very poor.
Too bad for Conceicao to have come to a dead team like the present Milan squad. That’s a coach who managed a solid Porto squad and built a machine that won trophies and dominated Portugal and Europe.
What is on Tasotti’s resume?
What a fool !!!! Our winger is one of the absolute best talents to ever play in Milan and your dumba** trying to blame him like the rest of them american clowns who only started watching Milan because their overrated overhyped average player dragged his butt out of Chelsea bench to come play in our club !!!! What a twerp !!!! If Leao left Milan, Milan will drown, fool!
They only played well with Pioli.
Solution is Red Bird must spend well on new coach and bring him players he want. Like in case Conte to Napoli.
Or bring back Pioli to Milan
Conte won’t last long with this management
Not conte. They must bring more expensive coach
Or any…conte is no Sustainable fix
They played well-ish. We still had a 5th place finish with Pioli that became 4th after Juventus were docked points. The same problems existed with the same players. We need to get rid of the players with bad mentality, regardless of “skill” (which for a couple of them really means speed, which is useless in the event of a low block). Did you ever see Maldini and Kaka off sulking in a corner during a water break because the coach made a decision they didn’t like? Did the coach have to make a decision to bench them in the first place because they lacked effort? Some players think they’re gods because of one scudetto or because they’re fast or whatever, but they’re just childre who do not compare to the real men of Sacchi’s, Capello’s and Ancelotti’s squads. GET RID OF THE PRINCESSES. End of story.
Nah they did well. Our worse was 4th/5th and I’m not sure why that’s the one ppl always bring up and not the 1st and 2nd ones Hmm 🤔
The situation has become so bad that Pioli started looking good
Cesc please
Bring Conte to Milan
They were terrible in both halves. They just scored a low probability goal in the first half at a time when it put them ahead. That goal could have easily been scored in the second half instead, or more likely not scored at all during the game. In either of those two cases it would be said that the first half was very poor. 44 minutes of bad soccer isn’t erased by a lightning goal against the run of play that could never make up for the lack of chances created in the long run.
What I’m confused about with this game is that it looked like Pulisic came on and played centrally. Milan had the better of the play during this period. They were putting pressure on Bologna’s defense. Then Pulisic was moved out wide and Reijnders was moved to the 10 and the game went back to how it was for the rest of the game. Why this? Perhaps it was just a coincidence that the team attacked more when Pulisic was central, but unless I am mistaken the fact remains, and there was no attempt to find out if it was coincidence or not. Why did Conceicao put Pulisic at the 10 when he went in? Why did he change away from it while the game looked better with it? And why did he not change back when things were not looking good after the change away?
Pulisic got moved to RW when Conceicao instructed Mike to start playing the long ball. Either way both are poor choices from Conceicao and Leao lmao is throwing Conceicao under the bus without realizing it.
Are they actually trying to spin it like they had a good first half? They were terrible from the first minute. They got lucky that one out of the hundred balls they just mindlessly kicked forward happened to fall to Leao. That is not any kind of strategy.
Leao basically telling you that yes, this is ugly football but that’s how this coach wants to play. No wonder all of our offensive players have regressed under this fraud of a coach. They will all leave if Conceicao is not sacked.
Shame on you Leo
He practically speaks for all the players, we all saw the long balls, it’s shameful
“..we didn’t play good football, but we played the way the coach wanted, that is with the long ball; the goal came like that”. Haha oh dear 😂🤦♂️🥲
I mean if that doesn’t tell you where the team is on the coach, I don’t know what will.
ACM doesn’t have the players for a long ball game. Yes, they scored a goal, but the rest of the time it amounted to zero threats. Once they took Felix off and Pulisic came on the first 10 mins looked good. Then it became kickball. Pulisic ain’t going to win many aerial duels nor is Leão, it’s not their game. The manager should be fired for that level of stupidity. Leão really let the manager have it, but subtly.
Leao’s comments were anything but subtle. I’m guessing the clubhouse either is either a frosty or heated but in all cases tense place to be these days. I don’t see leadership from the players that should be leading (Hernandez, Leao, yes Pulisic, Maignan) the way. Not sure what can be done to take them out of this funk of a season. They do miss Walker.