Conceicao explains how Milan beat Inter and praises Jovic: “He lost a few kilos” | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao spoke to the media after AC Milan’s 3-0 win against Inter, which secured their spot in the Coppa Italia. He expressed joy over the performance, but also made it clear that the work isn’t done yet.

Milan headed into tonight’s clash with a bruised confidence, following the defeat against Atalanta, but ultimately managed to beat their city rivals by three goals to nil. A lot of it was thanks to Luka Jovic, who kept his spot in Conceicao’s starting eleven.

After the game, Conceicao was interviewed by Mediaset (via MilanNews) and shared his thoughts on the performance. He also praised Jovic for losing ‘a few kilos’, while making it clear that Milan still have a final in Rome to play before they can celebrate.

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“The feeling before the match against Atalanta was positive, then all matches go in different ways. The small details are important. I liked the attitude, the compactness and the solidity. We suffered more than we wanted initially, we could have done better on the counter-attacks.

“We tried to improve 2-3 aspects and we played a very high-level second half. I’m happy, sometimes in the league, we haven’t shown what we did today. Technical quality must be combined with this humility, this attitude and this desire to win that you can see in every action.”

With the Coppa Italia, do you feel that you can stay?

“Conceicao is not important. It is important to win against Venezia and then, when the final comes, we will be happy to do it. It’s not that we have already won it. I’m the same coach as two days ago, it’s not that everything is beautiful or everything is ugly. We need to find balance also on an emotional level, not just as a team.”

Jovic’s moment…

“Jovic has been working really well in the last 3-4 weeks. He also lost a few kilos, which was important. He gives us that little something we wanted for the match. He doesn’t give references to the defenders, he works well with the midfielders.

“But I have total faith in everyone: in other matches, with other characteristics, maybe Abraham or Santi will play. It’s up to me to choose based on the characteristics that someone has. In Udine, for example, we saw that Tammy came in and gave an important response. I’m sorry that in the league, what we prepare doesn’t come out in the match, but that’s another thing.”

Pulisic gave so much balance…

“He sacrificed himself for the team, he had a good game. We had to balance the central areas, he and Jovic were important on Asllani. He ran a lot, he gave a lot to the team. Then it’s clear, he lacks a bit of freshness with the ball… When we spend more time without the ball, for players like Puli, it becomes more difficult. But great confidence in him.”

How do you feel after this 3-0 win?

“It’s a mix. I’m a fan of this sport. I suffer a little more than someone else. Even in my family, I bring football into the house, and my wife is not very happy. But now she is happy, maybe before the Venezia game, I will be a little more relaxed.

“But I have my feet on the ground, we have not won anything. We need to have a different end to the season in terms of image, I want a ‘team’ team. There have been league games in which we do not see ourselves because we have more quality than what we have shown.”

Venezia are up next for the Rossoneri, with kick-off set for 12:30 CEST on Sunday, and the Coppa Italia final will be played on May 14th. Tomorrow, Bologna will play the second leg against Empoli, but they have a 3-0 win on aggregate from the first leg.