Conceicao discusses what he ‘really liked’ vs. Bologna, striker dilemma and club’s confidence | OneFootball

AC Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao admitted his side weren’t at their best against Bologna, but was happy with how they found a way to win again.

At the midway point of the second half it looked like being far from ideal preparation for the Coppa Italia final, with Milan trailing to a Riccardo Orsolini goal and Bologna looking to be in control of proceedings.

However, three goals in the last 20 minutes turned the game on its head, with the Rossoneri completing yet another comeback. Santiago Gimenez scored twice either side of Christian Pulisic’s 17th goal of the campaign, with Milan ending up winning 3-1.

It is far from a knockout blow given that the final in Rome will of course begin from parity again, but it will be interesting to see what kind of an impact it has psychologically on both sets of players.

Conceicao spoke to Sky after the final whistle to offer his assessments after a fifth win in six games for his side and a positive result in view of the cup final, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.

How do you judge the performance?

“We didn’t play a great game. It’s true, however, that we won against a strong team that is doing well. Those who came on later gave positive responses and I really like that.”

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Do you have a dilemma in the striker position now?

“We’ll start preparing for the final tomorrow. We have to analyse what we did well and what we didn’t. It will be a different match from today. Finals must be won, even if you play less well.

“Gimenez is working well, I’m talking to him a lot to give him what he needed. He came here with a small physical problem. We have faith in all the players. I’m happy with the two goals, we know that strikers live for goals.

“I never tell the press in advance who will start. We still have a few days of work before the match. Gimenez has a different game to Jovic. Abraham has scored important goals and let’s not forget Camarda either. We bought him for his quality, Serie A is difficult, he needs a bit of acclimatisation.”

The substitutes made the difference again…

“Those who came in did well, but not just today.”

Do you feel club’s confidence?

“Conceiçao is not important, what is important is Milan and winning the next match because for a club like ours it is essential to lift trophies. This is not the time to talk about me, at the right time I will speak.”