Ibrahimovic comments on ‘need’ for trophies, Conceicao move and Milan ‘history’ | OneFootball

AC Milan ended an almost 10-year Supercoppa Italiana drought against Inter on Monday night, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke about the need for continuity after.

It has been a very weird season for Milan, there have often been poor moments, and whilst there have been spells of positivity, they have often quickly been overshadowed by a poor result or issue within the team.

Key players have been involved in controversy, mercato talk about stars has been rife and this has all occurred whilst the Rossoneri have tried to find momentum under a new coach, Paulo Fonseca.

With the Portuguese struggling to find that sweet spot, a decision was made to part ways and in came Sergio Conceicao. Within a week, the Portuguese led his team to the Supercoppa trophy, and there have been clear Milanese signs shown, which many felt Fonseca’s football lacked.

Yesterday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke to CBS Sport about the Supercoppa, Conceicao and the impact of the trophy.

The first game with Conceicao went well. It’s early but it felt like we saw a fight, character and spirit. For you, on the inside, what have you seen?

“We have seen a good reaction, the team is working well. A lot of energy, a lot of inspiration and the team is accepting the approach of the coach, which is the most important. That is what we wanted with this change.

“Conceicao brings character, he brings what we wanted. We saw in the first game, the second game brought a trophy, which was one of our objectives for the season. We believe, we are focused and we are confident.”

You’ve been in locker rooms and you have won trophies, how much can this change a season?

“When you play for a big club like Milan, one of the biggest in the world, you play for trophies. If you want to write your name in the history books of these clubs, you win trophies. This is the moment that Milan is used to being in. We have to continue to write history.

“Today was an opportunity to do that. The moment is not crucial because we are in January, but it was an objective.”

For Milan it feels like it has been up and down this season, Inter, Madrid and then there have been down moments. How are you judging the season?

“When we brought Fonseca in, we were looking for a possession and dominant game with a different identity, but we didn’t get the results we needed, that Milan needs. We’re dependent on results, Milan is a club where you need to bring results, if you don’t it will not work.

“We didn’t have the continuity to bring results, that’s why the change was needed and now, hopefully, we can hope for change after today.”