Conceicao: ‘I share anguish of Milan fans, we all want to win’ after terrible 2025 start

epa11905993 AC Milan’s head coach Sergio Conceicao gives instructions during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs 2st leg match between AC Milan and Feyenoord at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 18 February 2025. EPA-EFE/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Sergio Conceicao assures he feels ‘the same anguish’ as Milan fans and that ‘nobody here doesn’t want to win, otherwise we’d be masochists’ ahead of the crunch meeting with Lazio.

The Rossoneri are in crisis after Champions League elimination in the play-offs to Feyenoord, then back-to-back Serie A defeats to Torino and Bologna that left them floundering in eighth place.

After a fiery post-match interview on Thursday, Conceicao sat back down in front of the media for this afternoon’s press conference and was asked how his team can get back on track.

“Win, win, win, win. That is what we want,” he replied. “We know the responsibility of this moment, we are aware of what happened and either through our own errors or someone else’s that we cannot control, the result was negative.

“We cannot cling to small misfortunes, that is life. We must work on what is not going right and bring results in, there is no other way.”

Conceicao is only the latest Milan coach to complain that the players do not have the right attitude and cannot keep focus consistently.

“It is my job to create this environment in the locker room. I genuinely believe. We already won one trophy that we were up for, the Supercoppa Italiana, and are still in the Coppa Italia. We have 12 games to face and must be a bit different on every level: tactical, physical and mental.

“The mentality must be at 1,000 per cent from the first to the last second of the game. Around 80 per cent of the goals we concede involves something strange happening, the kind you usually see only once a season. These moments will pass with work.”

Conceicao stands up for Milan record

Conceicao raged recently that he felt disrespected by the media who constantly debated his status at the club or his future with Milan.

“I have always had this desire to win and this fierce pride. I won as a player and then won as a coach. It took 13 years for me to come to Italy as a coach, which was a dream for me. Now I stand without masks in an historic club, but that was a different time, when Milan aimed to win the Champions League and often did win it. The hunger of the fans remains the same, it is important for them to win, no matter who is here.

“As for the players, there is nobody here who doesn’t want to win, otherwise we’d be masochists,” continued Conceicao.

“I saw positive things in the first half against Bologna, we conceded a goal where there was a foul. We mustn’t cling to that, but what should we have done after the refereeing error? It’s true, we were not up to the task.

“We need more balance and concentration, even on the little details like a throw-in. We must go beyond 100 per cent of what we are accustomed to giving, as there are situations like pressing, sprint, where we cannot go any lower.”

The coach was criticised for constantly picking Joao Felix in the starting XI since the arrival from Chelsea on loan, but revealed why Christian Pulisic was only a substitute against Bologna.

“The day of the game, the doctor told me Pulisic could not start, so I had to find a solution. Joao was not meant to start, I had to pick him and move Musah. I’ll tell you the truth, he’s had this small physical issue for a month and we need to balance his playing time.

“Joao Felix is very good between the lines, in my view he often moves into areas where he is not needed. We need a second striker. He accepts that he must improve something every day, he needs to be more decisive, not be as far away from the goal as he is now. He needs to make the difference in the final third.”

The elimination from the Champions League is at least giving Conceicao his first chance to do some real training during the week.

“After Lazio will be another new start to the season. From Tuesday, I will start working on the pitch and not just with a whiteboard. I will work on another tactical system, without doubt. In my past, I played 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2 and 3-43, the players must feel at ease both on and off the ball. We must define our zones, knowing when and how to press.”

Lazio are one of the clubs where Conceicao played during his Serie A career, along with Parma and Inter, so it is a special encounter.

“A human being is full of memories, as is natural, but even if my parents were playing for Lazio tomorrow, I’d still play to win. I thank them for three wonderful years, but they’ll be opponents tomorrow. Marco Baroni is doing a great job, he deserves congratulations.”

In conclusion, Conceicao sent a message to the Milan supporters.

“I feel bad when things don’t go well. I hate losing. My anguish is the same anguish that the fans feel. So when I rant a bit at the end of a game, it comes from that desire to win.”