Sérgio Conceição: unhappy players, broken dressing room and risk of departure, write in Italy
Next weekend’s derby could worsen the situation of Milan’s Portuguese coach
Sergio Conceição arrived just a month ago to replace Paulo Fonseca at the helm of Milan , but he seems to have already exhausted all the trust capital gained with the triumph in the Super Cup , having even entered into conflict with several Rossoneri players .
The dressing room seems to tremble with the shouts of the Portuguese coach, whose situation could worsen if Inter win the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday, which pits the two great rivals from the city of Milan against each other.
The atmosphere at the Rossoneri club is tense, with the Portuguese coach’s methods allegedly making the players uncomfortable. Despite the Super Cup triumph, which seemed to bode well for Conceição, the relationship between the coach and the squad has reportedly deteriorated rapidly. Reports of intense verbal clashes in the dressing room have been made public, revealing a worrying scenario for the Milan board .
Conceição’s authoritarian approach, known from his time at FC Porto , does not seem to be going down well in Italy. The pressure on the Portuguese could increase significantly if rivals Inter emerge victorious from the clash. A defeat at this critical moment could precipitate a drastic decision by the board, apprehensive about the turn of events.
According to the Italian press, the current situation puts at risk not only Milan ‘s sporting project for the season, but also Conceição’s continuity in the position. The next few days will be crucial in determining whether the coach can reverse the negative climate and regain the trust of the squad and the board.
The situation, already tense after the game against Parma , with Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leão being substituted at half-time, and Davide Calabria having a heated argument with Sérgio Conceição on the pitch after the final whistle, worsened following the scandalous defeat in Zagreb (2-1 defeat against Dinamo) in the Champions League.
Morata asked to leave
On Wednesday, the day Milan failed to qualify directly for the round of 16, there was also a furious reaction from Alvaro Morata , who exploded on the bench after his substitution and is said to have gone to the club’s management to demand his departure.
According to La Repubblica , «the entire team was summoned on Thursday afternoon to Milanello, in order to meet with the directors Furlani, Moncada and Ibrahimovic, and smooth out the tension that had arisen, but after the meeting a rupture became evident that does not seem at all negligible».
The poor mood in the dressing room was again felt by two other players who were close to a move this month, Emerson Royal and Strahinja Pavlovic, both of whom have been offered moves to Turkey.
Pulisic: «The coach has a stronger voice»
La Repubblica also writes that the Portuguese’s harsh attitude in the dressing room, especially his shouting during technical meetings, does not please many players, including Theo Hernández, who for now still hopes to continue with the Lombardy team.
As the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire and Christian Pulisic’s response is proof of that. When asked at the press conference before the game against Dinamo Zagreb about the tensions in the dressing room, the American tried to give a humorous tone to the situation: «What can I say? The coach has a very strong voice!»
Allegri, Xavi and Terzic on Milan’s radar
However, Tuttosport stated today that, despite Milan’s management having denied the existence of problems with Sérgio Conceição, behind the scenes there is already a list of possible replacements for the Portuguese: Massimiliano Allegri, Edin Terzic and Xavi.
