GdS: ‘Professional finalist’ – how Conceicao plans to win ‘La Decima’ with Milan

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SempreMilan

·13 Mei 2025

GdS: ‘Professional finalist’ – how Conceicao plans to win ‘La Decima’ with Milan

Sergio Conceiçao is preparing his AC Milan side for a season-defining cup final on Wednesday night, and he hopes to continue his specialist trend.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below), Conceicao had been at Milan for just four days when he won the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Juventus and only seven days when he lifted the trophy to the sky, after the comeback win (we would get used to that) over Inter in the final.

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Conceicao’s trusted men

That Supercoppa triumph was the ninth cup win of his managerial career, following the eight trophies added to Porto’s trophy cabinet. In addition to the three Portuguese league titles, he has won eight finals: four Portuguese Cups, three national Super Cups and a League Cup.

He is therefore looking for the tenth, and he will do so with the men he has relied on in the recent period. A three-man defence with which he has found stability, on the right the momentum of the young Alex Jimenez more than the experience of Kyle Walker.

Theo Hernandez on the other wing, invited to push forward and covered behind by Strahinja Pavlovic. Youssouf Fofana has recovered and will be back in the middle after the injury suffered against Genoa, then Rafael Leao and Pulisic attacking wingers and Luka Jovic ahead of Santiago Gimenez as striker.

The rest of the squad – that he was able to keep on edge until the end – also offers him other solutions: the unpredictability of Samuel Chukwueze or the goals of Gimenez are possible alternatives from the bench, as is Joao Felix.

The club reflects

The idea of ‘La Decima’ is also familiar to Carlo Ancelotti, who took Real Madrid’s Champions League count to ten. By winning the Coppa Italia, Conceiçao would equal Carletto as the last coach capable of winning two trophies in the same season with Milan.

For Carlo it was the European Super Cup against Sevilla and the Club World Cup with the victory over Boca Juniors. A detail that cannot be overlooked by ad Furlani himself: a coach who allows the club to lift two trophies in five months cannot be dismissed without first carefully considering.

In fact it is not just diplomacy, behind the club’s defence of the coach there is now a real idea of confirmation in the event of a double win. Nothing is a given, but a more concrete possibility than a few weeks ago.

His current contract ties him to Milan until 2026 but a clause allows both the club and the coach to dissolve the bond one summer in advance.

Cup specialist

This is Conceiçao’s 15th final, so he can be defined as a specialist of the genre. He has been a head coach since 2012, and is progressing at a rate of more than one final per season. Vincenzo Italiano, by contrast, has lost 3/3 finals as head coach, all with Fiorentina.

He has lost five, so he seems to have more than one alibi. With Braga he lost to Sporting CP, who were more highly rated and competitive. With Porto he was beaten by the same opponent twice, but always and only on penalties.

A defeat to Benfica in 2023 (again with Porto) who also finished ahead in the league and one by Braga in 2019-20, with Sergio’s Porto becoming champions in the league. Now he is only aiming for a Milan double.