Sérgio Conceição uses Pinto da Costa to show what went wrong at AC Milan | OneFootball

Sérgio Conceição gave a lengthy interview to this Tuesday’s edition of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, in which he explained the reasons behind his short spell at AC Milan, between December 2024 and June 2025, a period in which he recorded 16 wins, five draws and 10 defeats in 31 official matches, with an Italian Super Cup won along the way.

“We played every three days, and we trained through matches. Lots of videos and little work on the pitch. But I’m not complaining. When I signed, I knew the schedule. Even so, they were six positive months. We reached two finals. We lost one, it’s true, but it could have gone differently,” he began by saying.

“It’s not easy to be AC Milan’s coach. It is a team historically used to competing in seasons of the highest level and winning Champions League finals. At the same time, the moment was complicated,” he added, before drawing a parallel with the reality he experienced at FC Porto, between 2017 and 2024.

“I won a lot there, but it was different. I had a president [Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa] who had been in the role for decades and stepped down as the most decorated in the world. The club was well structured and organized. The transition was not easy. At AC Milan, after the Super Cup win, a draw with Cagliari was enough for rumors to start circulating about who would take my place, and nobody denied them,” he concluded.

As for his relationship with the players, the current Al-Ittihad Jeddah coach said: “I was in dressing rooms for 25 years, and I know that an unstable environment affects them too. It wasn’t easy to play with the fans leaving the stands. And on social media, what was being said about us reached the players. We needed great protection from the club.”

“I’m proud of Francisco Conceição, just as I am of my other children, even if they don’t play in Serie A”

Sérgio Conceição then spoke about the way his son, Francisco Conceição, has been standing out at Juventus, under Italian coach Luciano Spalletti: “I’m proud of him, just as I am of my other children, even if they don’t play in Serie A. Spalletti is doing a great job, with him and with the squad.”

“We are different. I am right-footed, he is left-footed. I used to move out wide to cross, he moves inside to shoot. What I see in myself in him is that he has great character. He is never satisfied, he wants to improve every day. He is as ambitious as I am, even though he was born into an uncomfortable situation,” he pointed out.

“Like everyone else, and like me first of all, he still needs to improve. A player with good players helps,” he concluded, about the 23-year-old forward, who has four goals and as many assists in 40 matches this season, and has his eyes set on Roberto Martínez’s call-up for Portugal’s participation in the World Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.