CM: One fate, two scenarios – what the Coppa Italia final means for Conceicao’s future

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·29. April 2025

CM: One fate, two scenarios – what the Coppa Italia final means for Conceicao’s future

Sergio Conceicao is fully focused on winning his second trophy with AC Milan, and that could very well be the last thing he does for the club.

As Calciomercato.com write, the saying ‘winning helps you win’ is the number one principle for developing an elite mentality, one that Milan has lacked this season in key moments. Two games above all stand out: the Champions League defeat in Zagreb and away league game against Juventus.

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From now until May 14 – the date of the Coppa Italia final that Milan will play against Bologna – the goal is to keep winning to get to that mentality. Sunday’s match against Venezia is another step forward, after the 3-0 derby win over Inter in midweek.

The feeling is that Conceicao has found the right system and is determined to expand his personal trophy cabinet, which – in addition to the three league titles won with Porto – also includes Portuguese Super Cups and four national cups.

A bittersweet season?

Despite the possibility of winning a second major trophy this season, Milan cannot be ninth in the Serie A standings. The results of the previous round (the defeat to Atalanta) ultimately extinguished any minimal possibility of getting a European spot.

The difference was made by the direct clashes where the Rossoneri were never really up to par (eight points from 42 available). This made the campaign disastrous from every point of view, also considering the Champions League campaign that had given the whole club hope.

Lifting the Coppa Italia would bring the overall evaluation of the season to be just about sufficient, but in this sense Conceicao’s interpretation is more factual than Youssouf Fofana’s, who underlined how Milan are the only team still in the running to win two domestic trophies.

Photos by Lega Serie A and Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Decision made

The mistake that Milan have already decided not to make is to sweep the dust under the carpet. At the end of the season the main reflection will be on what went wrong in the relationship between the coach, players and management.

Some management errors and the failure to reach the Champions League have led Milan to the choice of changing head coach, to the need to start over with a new era and a new leader. The final in Rome against Bologna, however, opens up two scenarios.

If Conceicao were to lose the Coppa Italia then he would be fired. If he were to win then he would be the one to leave the club. In the latter case, the Portuguese coach would say goodbye to everyone with a crackling conference on all the obstacles he had to dodge, with two trophies to show.