Conceicao: ‘I must find Milan balance, but play-off still open’ | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao defends his decision to use all four strikers together in Milan’s 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord, admitting he needs to ‘find the right balance,’ but maintains Champions League hopes.

The Rossoneri had taken a real gamble in the first leg of the Champions League play-off by unveiling the Fab Four together for the first time from the start, specifically Santiago Gimenez against his old club, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.

However, the game started on the wrong foot when in the opening three minutes Mike Maignan’s howler allowed an Igor Paixao effort to squirm under him into the near bottom corner and it didn’t get any better.

There were relative few scoring opportunities and much better will be needed to turn this around at San Siro on Tuesday evening.

“You win games with duels, aggression, and Feyenoord had all those ingredients tonight,” admitted Conceicao on Sky Sport Italia.

“We should’ve done more, we also knew it was going to be a fiery atmosphere and they always give more on home turf. It’s the Champions League, this atmosphere should motivate us more, not less.

“There was immediately a Tijji Reijnders chance, then we conceded a goal with incidents that can happen in football, but we had the chances to equalise and should’ve done more. It is not over yet, it is wide open for the second leg and we certainly need a different response on Tuesday.”

Conceicao still trying to find Milan identity

epa11891645 Joao Felix of AC Milan (foreground) in action against Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther during the UEFA Champions League playoff first leg soccer match between Feyenoord and AC Milan, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 12 February 2025. EPA-EFE/SEM VAN DER WAL

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Conceicao has only been at Milan since December 30, but he is already seeing the trend repeat itself of a good result and performance followed by a deeply disappointing one, the same inconsistency that had plagued Stefano Pioli and Paulo Fonseca.

“We must all, starting from me, give a little more, raise the level and then games will be easier. I have a squad of technical quality and we must bring in other characteristics that are very important, otherwise it becomes tough,” continued the coach.

“It is difficult to change it, but not impossible. We are here to make the last four months of the season different to the six that came before.”

In the Sky Sport Italia studio, Fabio Capello asked Conceicao if he had made a mistake underestimating Feyenoord as the right opponents to risk the four strikers together?

“Never, I respect everyone in football. We tried to prepare for this the way we would a Champions League Final. I know how hard I worked to get here, I’ve been a player before and then a coach for 14 years, I respect lower league and Champions League opponents the same way.

“Everyone is an ideal analyst in hindsight. It was what I thought before the game, I realise people are curious about those four, but there were another seven players too. I am the one who must find the right balance in the team and I need to work on that,” concluded Conceicao.

Milan had always been very left-sided with Leao and Theo Hernandez, but the situation seems to have got even worse this evening with Joao Felix also leaning towards the left, leaving Kyle Walker exposed against the marauding Paixao.