Costacurta: Milan’s Champions League Exit Not Conceicao’s Fault

Former AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta has stated that the team’s elimination from the Champions League should not be blamed on head coach Sergio Conceicao. Instead, he believes the players, particularly Theo Hernandez, are at fault.

Milan was knocked out of the Champions League in the playoff round after drawing 1-1 with Feyenoord, resulting in a 2-1 aggregate loss. The Rossoneri took an early lead through Santiago Gimenez, but their task became more difficult when Hernandez was sent off early in the second half.

Costacurta expressed his disappointment with Hernandez’s performance, stating: “I haven’t seen so many mistakes in a two-legged tie for a long time. The errors Theo made are unacceptable at this level. This is possibly his worst season, and tonight’s performance was the culmination of that.”

He further emphasized: “It’s fair to say that Theo Hernandez bears significant responsibility for Milan’s Champions League exit. Conceicao is not to blame; in my opinion, he made no mistakes with his team selection. The players made the errors, and they were serious ones in every match.”

Costacurta’s comments highlight the impact of individual player performances on team results, suggesting that Milan’s Champions League failure was due to on-field mistakes rather than coaching decisions.