GdS: ‘Conceicao knows how’ – Milan continue mission for direct last-16 access vs. Girona

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·22. Januar 2025

GdS: ‘Conceicao knows how’ – Milan continue mission for direct last-16 access vs. Girona

Sergio Conceicao will lead AC Milan for the first time in the Champions League tonight against Girona, with a spot in the top eight firmly on his mind.

Today’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes that Conceicao is no stranger to the competition, having had two eliminations in the Champions League quarter-finals and three in the round of 16 with Porto.

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Only twice did they failed to qualify for the knockout stage and, in the big picture, they are exceptions to the rule. Milan didn’t do as well, nor did the players, even if there are some inside the squad who have been winners.

Alvaro Morata has two Champions League medals, while Christian Pulisic and Theo Hernandez have one (the latter as a bit of an extra). However, the squad that reached the 2023 semi-final is disintegrated, so Conceicao could be a guide.

Past at Porto

Porto’s draws in the group stage of the Champions League saw envious tweets and sarcastic quips because it rarely treated them badly, but Conceiçao built a winning European culture within the club during his time there.

Last season they topped a group with Barcelona, Shakhtar and Antwerp before exiting in the round of 16, on penalties against Arsenal. In truth they perhaps deserved a bit more over the two legs, but they bowed out via the lottery of spot kicks.

In 2022-23 they qualified from a group with Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid and – despite a 0-4 home loss to Club Brugge – they were beaten in the round of 16, hitting the crossbar in added time in a 1-0 aggregate loss.

In 2021-22 they finished third in the deadly group with Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Milan, taking four points from the Rossoneri. In 2020-21 they eliminated Juventus in the round of 16 and in the quarter-finals were so close to taking Chelsea to extra time, who would then win the trophy.

Then we go to the remote past. In 2018-19 Porto overcame Roma in the round of 16 but conceded six goals in two games in the quarter-finals against Liverpool, the same opponent who had snatched his European passport in the round of 16 a year earlier.

Even considering the traumatic 2019 – a play-off elimination by Krasnodar of Russia – the path is worthy of applause.

What Conceiçao said

In yesterday’s press conference, Sergio Conceicao got asked a question about Milan getting back to the semi-final stage, to which he responded: “Can they get there? I hope so. From tomorrow we will try to do our best to get as far as possible.”

Bookmakers say that at the moment there are 13 teams with more chances than Milan, not three, and yes, it’s understandable. The team has problems, is full of injuries and on Saturday against Juventus they played a second half that was abhorrent.

This is also why the coach called for unity among the supporters: “The fans must understand that Milan is Milan. Right now they must be the twelfth player, or rather the first. Without them, the club does not exist.

“Tomorrow is very important because we are in a difficult moment, with injuries and suspensions. It’s an appeal I make to people, I’m not handsome or nice but it’s important that we unite, with whatever differences and sympathies we may have.”

The reference in the last sentence is to the clear, almost unprecedented fracture between the owners – Gerry Cardinale and RedBird Capital – and all the AC Milan fans. The Curva Sud has been protesting for weeks and a #RedBirdOut banner has appeared near the headquarters.

Selection choices

Conceiçao will try again doing simple things, focusing on motivation and no tactical experiments. He’s not that type of coach, everyone understood this.

So it will be a 4-3-3 with Alvaro Morata as the striker, Rafael Leao on the left and Yunus Musah on the right. Emerson Royal and Strahinja Pavlovic will be starters even if they are clearly available on the market, and even if they could say goodbye before Milan-Parma arrives.

Christian Pulisic will at most be on the bench. It will be interesting to understand what approach Milan will have because Girona like to have the ball – they are third in LaLiga in terms of possession after Barcelona and Real Madrid – and the Rossoneri will now try to contain and counter.

We could see a Girona dominate possession at San Siro therefore, which is a bit strange, with Conceicao hoping to see a compact tema at the back, and one that is more clinical in the final third.