After the end of the Milan – Cagliari match played at San Siro, head coach Sergio Conceição spoke to the media in a press conference.
Does the team need to understand what you want, or do you need to choose the right players?
“I need to choose the right players, the ones I think are suitable, and they all need to raise their level in every sense: physically, technically, tactically, and in their attitude. They are eager and accept our message, but the timing is what it is. However, that’s not an excuse, I was aware of the limited time and the demanding schedule of matches. Riyadh isn’t an excuse either. We simply need to do much more, and that’s it.”
Does this team lack a natural striker? Conceicao replied:
“I like unselfish players who give a lot to the team. But there are moments when they need to be selfish. Sometimes they go looking for something spectacular, but it shouldn’t be like that because football is simple. We work, we’re serious. Tonight, we faced a team sitting deep; there must be movement, support, and runs in behind. It’s not just about the ball reaching the wings and us standing there watching. There are many things to improve. They know it and accept it, which is the foundation.”
Where does the team need tactical adjustments? Conceicao replied:
“We took 25 shots, their goalie was very good, and we had our chances. Even if we had won, I wouldn’t have been satisfied. They’re starting to get to know me, if I came here making excuses… I admire the work of Davide Nicola and have studied it: throwing yourself on the ground, wasting time on goal kicks, it’s all part of the game. That’s not the issue, but the referee should add 10 minutes of stoppage time.”
Senegal
