“The Milan I like to see” emerging with more training time, says Sérgio Conceição | OneFootball

Milan 1-1 Inter

Sérgio Conceição believes his AC Milan side have shown signs of improvement during their last two matches, having benefitted from more training time compared to when he first arrived at the club.

Milan were held by Italian champions and city rivals Inter to a 1-1 draw at San Siro in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final, but the Rossoneri’s encouraging performance was praised by the Portuguese after the match.

Both goals came in the second half, with Tammy Abraham’s smart finish for Milan in the 47th minute cancelled out by a ferocious strike by Hakan Çalhanoğlu after 67 minutes. The return meeting later this month will determine which of the rivals will play Empoli or Bologna, who have a 3-0 lead in their semi-final, in the showpiece final in May.

Conceição has been under much scrutiny of late, with reports suggesting the Portuguese’s chances of keeping his job beyond the summer are slim, having struggled to improve the team since replacing Paulo Fonseca in January. However, Milan defied their recent reputation as slow starters by imposing themselves in the first half against Inter and impressed neutrals during the contest.

“I think the result was fair, now we wait for the second leg and have this chance to go to the final in Rome, which we all really want,” Conceição said after the match.

“I would like to thank the crowd, who were fantastic this evening in their support for the team. The players understood what they were supposed to do, it was a balanced match against a difficult opponent where we had to be intelligent defensively, we did that, and I am happy with it.

“I am truly happy with this approach and attitude. The second half against Napoli was also good, so we must continue this evolution to reach our objective, which is to reach the Coppa Italia Final and win the trophy.

“When I arrived, we had two games against Juventus and Inter for the Supercup, then we started a series of matches playing every three days. Over the last two weeks, I’ve had more time to work with the squad in training on situations that are fundamental to bring more balance and reassurance.

“I know that might seem like an excuse, but it’s the truth to me, because you get intensity and aggression in training too. Now we are working on the pitch and not just in video lectures, which makes a difference.

“In the second half against Napoli and again tonight, I saw a more solid team, the kind I like to see.”