Conceicao discusses pre-Inter ‘excuses’, Milan ‘ambitions’ and Leao decision | OneFootball

Ahead of the Derby della Madonnina Supercoppa Italiana final, AC Milan head coach Sergio Conceicao spoke about the fixture, whilst also giving some updates on his squad.

The start of the Conceicao era was a positive one, with Milan overcoming Juventus in the semi-final of the Supercoppa, reaching the final of the competition against Inter, and creating a special Derby della Madonnina for the Saudi Arabian crowd.

It is a test that the Portuguese probably would have liked to wait slightly longer for, however, as we saw with Paulo Fonseca, sometimes you can get fantastic results in a short space of time, and the new head coach has had time to consider what strategies could be used.

At his pre-Inter press conference, Conceicao spoke about his squad and the condition of some players including Rafael Leao, his relationship with Simone Inzaghi and much more, and his words have been relayed by Milan News.

How are you?

“I hope the team is better than me. We are preparing for this match, against a strong team, who have been playing together for many years. We have to think about ourselves, it is difficult, yes, but among the men, we have to be ready.

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“We must not forget that we have one day less rest than Inter, we must not forget that some players are coming off injuries. But I do not want to make excuses, you will not hear me talk about these things at the end of the match.”

Do you feel this match in a special way?

“No, I have respect for all the teams I’ve played with. My son plays for Juve, the feeling is the same regardless of the opponent: I have feelings for my players, I really want to prepare things well, so that they can beat a strong team.

“It’s the most important thing we have in mind, the basis must be our ambition. There are two games to win a title, we’ve taken one step and we have to take the other: let’s hope it goes well, but we’re confident.”

Inzaghi recalled your experience with Eriksson…

“Certainly a lot, I’ve had many good coaches. Eriksson had a fantastic relationship with the players, I never saw him angry, he would turn red. I have Sven in my heart and all the players of that team. I had Sacchi and Malesani, I love Italy and I consider it my second home because I arrived when I was young and I had wonderful times.

“It’s a pleasure and an honour to have arrived in Italy to coach a historic team like Milan.”

How is Leao?

“We’ll see this afternoon. He definitely doesn’t have 90 minutes, I have to manage him. I don’t know if he’ll be available, then we’ll see if he plays or not. This afternoon we’ll have training and then we’ll decide.”

Talk to the nutritionist?

“Of course, I talk to the nutritionist, I give so much importance to weight, nutrition and all these little details.”

Do you feel lucky to start with a final?

“Luck doesn’t come if you don’t work. It comes if you work hard if you’re serious. You can have all the faith in the world, otherwise if you stay home and pray for goals you’ll never get them, but you have to score them. We have to be hungry, organized and have a little bit of luck.”

What is your relationship with Inzaghi?

“We will hug. These are incidents that happen during the match [the missed handshake in Porto, ed]. He will be my friend before and after the match, during which he is an opponent.”