Capello states Milan are ‘in hell’ with Coppa Italia result: “They did nothing, zero” | OneFootball

Fabio Capello has offered a scathing review of AC Milan’s performance at the Olimpico last night, with the Diavolo in hell.

Defeat is never going to be fully accepted, but it can be understood if you are outplayed. So, last night, if Milan had lost to Bologna under the right conditions, perhaps the response would not have been so far.

However, the showing was a ‘mirror’ of the season, as Sergio Conceicao put it. The Rossoneri were second best, and they failed to create much, even after falling behind. Credit must go to Vincenzo Italiano and his team, but the Diavolo were their own downfall.

It leaves things looking even more toxic than they were originally, with chants against Paolo Scaroni and Gerry Cardinale very audible at the Stadio Olimpico. Today, Fabio Capello has attempted to take stock of the situation for Gazzetta dello Sport, and it is not a positive review, expectedly.

“Bologna in heaven, Diavolo… in hell. The rossoblù win a trophy again after 51 years, lifting the Coppa Italia at the Olimpico, a stadium that brings them luck. It is the right culmination of the exceptional work done first by the club in the last two years, then by Vincenzo Italiano in an exhilarating season.

“It was not easy for the coach to take up the legacy of Thiago Motta – who had brought Bologna back to the Champions League -, especially after the sales of Zirkzee and Calafiori. Instead, Italiano has built a masterpiece, greatly assisted by Giovanni Sartori, who rarely makes mistakes when it comes to buying a player.

More Stories / The Match

Capello states Milan are ‘in hell’ with Coppa Italia result: “They did nothing, zero”

15 May 2025, 12:50

Watch: Conceicao avoids Calabria’s post-game handshake after January spat

15 May 2025, 12:25

MN: ‘Cardinale you have to sell’ – how the Olimpico atmosphere quickly turned toxic

15 May 2025, 12:00

“Bologna deserves the Cup, even if to be honest the match in Rome was not a good advert for Italian football. I didn’t like the game, the rossoblù found the winning spark with Dan Ndoye – an important player, as well as generous -, but other times in the season they had entertained me more.

“That’s normal, in a final everything becomes more complicated. But Bologna scored their goal, even without creating anything special, and then defended it well.

“Inevitably, the focus is on Milan’s performance. What can we say about Sergio Conceiçao’s team? With the exception of a few ideas from Rafa Leao in the first half, the rossoneri did nothing, zero. Milan had one real chance: at the beginning with that carom between Beukema-Skorupski-Jovic. Then practically nothing.

“When he went down, Conceiçao tried to field as many attackers as possible, but Italiano learned well from the finals he lost while leading Fiorentina and closed the spaces in defense, giving very little to the opponent. With Leao gone, the only jolts came from Chukwueze at the end (could he have come on earlier? In hindsight…). Too little in a final that came after a decidedly disappointing season.

Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images

“Nothing, but it happens by chance. Milan is dramatically without a proven game.

“For a large part of the match, the defenders continued to pass the ball low with Maignan, without anyone taking responsibility for the pass or the play. But can a final be conducted like this? In my opinion, no. And beyond Conceiçao, it must be said that the players have once again shown that they have little personality.

“The defeat is the logical consequence. And it is deserved, beyond any other discussion, including the refereeing one. If one can make a criticism of Mariani, it is above all on the recovery allowed in the second half.

“Six minutes, but after Bologna’s goal, the game was continuously interrupted, as unfortunately happens too often in Italian football. For this reason, I absolutely expected a few more minutes and instead… But here we go into minor details.

“The defeat in the Coppa Italia final, on the other hand, will force Milan to make much more important decisions. The club has taken its time in recent months, but the defeat in Rome leaves no room for replies, after a very disappointing championship and elimination from the Champions League by Feyenoord, not exactly Barcelona.

“Milan cannot be like this next year, I hope its managers know that too.”