Conceicao: ‘I chose Milan to win Champions League, but every day new reports’ | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao explains he chose Milan ‘to win the Champions League,’ but ‘every day they link new coaches’ to his job after running into more difficulties than anticipated.

The tactician was brought in on December 30 after just five months of the Paulo Fonseca tenure and got off to the ideal start, winning the Supercoppa Italiana in only his second match in charge.

“I wanted to come to one of the strongest leagues in the world,” explained Conceicao at the Coimbra Football Congress 2025 event.

“I have the dream and objective to win the Champions League, so that is why I chose my current club. I knew that there would be difficulties, as I did not choose the players in the squad, I had no time to train and was obliged to win.

“Having said all that, this is an historic club that can give me the chance to get closer to one of the main targets in my career, after having won so much in Portugal.”

Where it all went wrong for Conceicao at Milan

MILAN, ITALY – JANUARY 22: Sergio Conceicao, Head Coach of AC Milan, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between AC Milan and Girona FC at Stadio San Siro on January 22, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The honeymoon did not last long, as Milan crashed out of the Champions League in the play-offs to Feyenoord, then slipped down to a humiliating ninth place in Serie A.

“In the space of 30 days, we played nine games. We didn’t have any time for training, which is extremely difficult and means I cannot impose my identity on the squad,” added Conceicao.

“After winning the Supercoppa against Inter, we draw with Cagliari thanks to an individual error, which can happen.

“Since then, every day they link new coaches to the club.”

He has said several times that the group of players he inherited from Fonseca at Milan does not necessarily fit his ideas of the sport, but there is one who suits his ideas more than others, reserving praise for Mike Maignan.

“Everyone likes to build out from the back nowadays, and so do I, but you need players who are capable of doing that.

“At Porto, I had a fantastic goalkeeper who made that possible, and I have one at Milan too.”

Conceicao was also a player in Serie A, representing Parma, Lazio and Inter, but insists there is much more to be drawn on in his current role.

“A coach must not just understand football. If you only know football, then you know nothing. For a period of my life, I had to help out my family financially, going to work with a cousin in the market.

“I was introverted at the time, but that spell made me who I am today. So I advise everyone to experience life with passion and hold on tight to every experience in your lives.”