Serie A – AC Milan – Cagliari: Sergio Conceiçao, the crazy week

We left a smiling Paulo Fonseca, a glass of champagne in one hand, a piece of panettone (a brioche incorporating raisins and candied fruit, eaten by Italians during end-of-year celebrations) in the other . During the traditional greetings to the press, organized each year by AC Milan on the eve of the last match of the year, the Portuguese technician was certainly not thinking of the fate that would await him a week later. Certainly, he was the first dissatisfied with his team’s season, capable of blowing the heat one time, one time the cold. But from there to finding yourself eighth in Serie A, all the same…

Anyway, the former LOSC coach, who always said he felt calm on the Milan bench, ended up being struck by lightning just before the change of year. On December 30, the day after a sad draw against AS Roma (1-1), Milan formalized its immediate departure. Make way for another Portuguese, but not really with the same character: Sergio Conceiçao.

Courted last summer, then relaunched in recent weeks behind the scenes by intermediaries from the Lombard club, the former Porto coach seized his chance. And it doesn’t matter if his contract is “only” six months, with the option to extend for one season. “We can’t say no to such a club“, he whispered during his presentation press conference. Especially since his name had started to circulate again near Nantes, where Waldemar Kita, who keeps an intact memory of his former coach, to the point of keeping a photo of his time (in 2016-2017, he had then moved the Canaries from 18th to 7th place in Ligue 1, best ranking of his presidency) on his desk, dreamed of his return. In vain, Conceiçao could also have joined OM last summer, who finally went for Roberto De Zerbi, then Rennes during the season, before the Jorge Sampaoli option was finally prioritized, from English clubs (West Ham. , Everton…), other Saudis, or even the Belgian selection. Then Milan called him back and everything changed for him as for his new club.

We won’t talk about love at first sight here, at the risk that the smartest among you will not hesitate to bring it out if things were to go wrong. But what is certain is that Conceiçao and Milan found each other well. We can even say that they matched instantly. And the beginning of the story confirms it. Monday December 30: Conceiçao is officially appointed. Monday January 6: Conceiçao wins his first trophy. In this case the Italian Super Cup, what’s more by beating Juventus Turin (2-1) in the semi-final, then completely overthrowing the great rival, Inter Milan, in the final (0-2 to 3 -2). A dream debut.

But beyond this performance, it is above all the new atmosphere which reigns within the Lombard locker room which strikes people’s minds. Fractured under Fonseca, reunited with Conceiçao. Thanks in particular to a few… dance steps, those that he performed, with a huge cigar on his lips, in the locker room at Al-Awwal Park after his team’s title.

“As soon as we returned to the locker room, the players asked me to dance and smoke a cigar, because they remembered that it was my ritual when I win a title“, explained the former coach of FC Porto (2017-24), who has already forged strong bonds with some of his players. Just see the image of his embrace with Théo Hernandez, in great difficulty since the start season and who found his level in the final, achieving a goal and an assist in the final, a first in 1200 days.

The Portuguese technician, who spent between 1998 and 2004 in Serie A (Lazio, Parma, Inter Milan) when he was a player, did not revolutionize his team, fielding more or less the same eleven type as his predecessor. But in one week, he mainly worked on the heads, the state of mind and the mind. “The players, sometimes you have to shake them up, I’m not there to hug them, to smile and make friends. I’m here to win“, he warned in his introductory press conference. At half-time of the match against Juve, a television also bore the brunt of his anger in the locker room. “What happens inside is sacred and must stay there, but I was not at all happy with what I saw on the ground“, he revealed half-heartedly after the match about a team”in full doubt” et “lacking confidence“.

“He is a very demanding person, attentive to the smallest detail, who has a huge desire to win.“, confirmed Tammy Abraham, scorer of the winning goal against Inter, who led 2-0 in the final, before the Rossoneri’s surge. “As soon as he arrived, Sergio Conceiçao brought another energy, we immediately felt the change“, adds Rafael Leao, symbol with his six goals, and his passages on the substitutes’ bench, of the inconsistent Milan of the first part of the season. “I think an explanation for three benches in a row can be given, but sometimes coaches are like that…“, he regretted Friday in an interview given to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Very demanding of his players, Sergeant Conceiçao has already revolutionized certain daily habits. He demands seriousness at all times, without forgetting application and professionalism that cannot be lacking on and off the field. An example? Every morning, all players are weighed before lunch. No deviation is tolerated. “Fitness and diet are the minimum for a top athlete“, wrote the Journal in the week. Additionally, no one must leave the Milanello training center before 2 p.m., although training sessions usually finish late in the morning. Finally, before each match, return of the green setting. “Everyone must sleep in Milanello the night before“, confirmed the pink daily.

Conceiçao has no intention of letting his players rest on their laurels, while his leaders are trying to get Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United. “After a title, they may lose motivation and become complacent. This won’t happen, because we have to show that we are winners“, he assured. “If with Fonseca, the spark never arrived, here it’s quite the oppositeconcludes a Milanello regular. Conceiçao immediately established himself as a guide, a leader to follow, for players and managers alike. He has a natural legitimacy that encourages people to listen to him, and an empathy with his group that was terribly lacking in his predecessor. He also mentally recovered some leaders in distress. The music seems to have changed.“It remains to be seen whether she will make Conceiçao and his cigar dance again…