Milan suffered a home defeat to Lazio, losing 2-1 in Serie A amidst fan protests, marking their third consecutive loss.
Coach Sergio Conceicao faced criticism for his choices, and spoke to DAZN after the match, giving his assessment of the situation.
Regarding his ability to still contribute to the team this season, Conceicao stated: “It’s not an easy time, we know that. The players feel the atmosphere around the club. There’s only one way forward: to work hard, show pride in these colors, and give our all every day to change things. There are also incidents in matches that go against us and favor our opponents. I don’t like to talk about bad luck, but these things happen.”
On why Milan, a team under pressure, starts matches poorly, he explained: “We always discuss the same issues. We had very little time to prepare for this game and talked about the strange atmosphere. It’s a first for me in my career. The players feel it; as a former player myself, I know that when it’s like this, the pressure is immense. It’s not easy. When a dribble or a pass fails, and the opponent scores… But the team showed character, a desire to turn things around. Even with ten men, we equalized and could have won. Then, in the end, there’s a penalty. They are giving me positive responses, but believing in ourselves in training is different from performing in a difficult match situation. We’re working on this too, not just tactics and fitness. I arrived a few months ago, and we are playing many crucial games; it’s not easy.”
About making players understand the decisive nature of the situation, Conceicao said: “It’s very important, and we are working on it. Football is about breaking down the opponent’s defense when you have the ball, and showing the same commitment when you don’t. We struggle with this, and we’re trying to improve. Everything is connected. If you are strong defensively and in transitions, it’s important for attacking as well. We have players who are good offensively and can also be good defensively. Otherwise, we lack the necessary compactness. My teams have always been like that. I’ve found a group with different characteristics, and we need to find the right balance to win, because we have the quality.”
Conceicao then spoke in the press conference, making the following statements.
On another different match, he commented: “It’s not easy. Many incidents happen in games, and they are decisive. The atmosphere wasn’t easy for the players, and it showed. It’s not that the players didn’t want to win; we saw that in the second half, even with ten men, we tried to win, despite having one less player and two fewer days of rest than Lazio. We are the Italian team that has played the most matches; that also needs to be considered. Losing like this is not easy. We must show pride, work hard in every aspect. We need to find balance and compactness in the team so that in these moments, we don’t concede goals and we score in the final third. We could have made it 2-1 before the penalty if we had been fresher. The attitude and desire to win were there, and that satisfies me.”
When asked if he considered stepping down, he replied: “What affects me most is seeing the players, their faces, their disappointment, their frustration. I am with them. I am here to defend my players and my locker room. If I need to work two or three more hours, I will. We are in a negative phase in terms of results and incidents. We will continue to work hard.”
Regarding whether the players would do the same for him, he affirmed: “Yes, clearly. If I didn’t feel that, I wouldn’t say it.”
On whether he would continue the project next year, he concluded: “I have many things to think about, I need to focus on Lecce, I’m not thinking about anything else. I live day by day. The most important thing is Milan, not whether Conceicao stays or goes. I’m sorry for the fans because I’m used to winning. This hurts me. I am truly wounded by these results. I don’t feel good at all right now. And what I do in these moments is work, even harder.”