Conceicao admits he ‘took a risk’ after red card against Empoli: “I wanted to win” | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao spoke to the media after AC Milan’s important 2-0 win against Empoli this evening. He admitted that he took a pretty big risk by keeping an attacking-minded eleven on after the red card, simply because he wanted to win.

As many fans expected, it was a tough game for the Rossoneri at Stadio Carlo Castellani. The first half was rather slow and Empoli came closer to a goal then, as Lorenzo Colombo hit the post. In the second, it was a lot more chaotic with two red cards but Milan emerged victorious.

Speaking to DAZN after the game, as transcribed by MilanNews, Conceicao shared his thoughts on the substitutions, the Rossoneri’s character and the offside situation. He also admitted that he took a risk with his decisions in order to win the game.

United and compact defensive line, staying high…

“It is one of the areas we are working on, even if we don’t have as much time as I would have liked. The defensive line is important for the team’s compactness. We don’t want to play for offside, I don’t like that. We can suffer with this attitude. We are working a lot on these details that are very important for me and the team.”

You showed character after the red card and with the subs…

“The temptation at that moment was to take out an attacking player and bring on a centre-back. I moved Musah to right-back and put Kyle with Pavlovic, while dropping Joao Felix a bit. I took a risk, I wanted to win. Drawing with a club like Milan for me is like losing two points. We did our job and brought home the three points.”

Where do we stand with the defensive efforts of your players? And what do you think about Gimenez?

“He’s a quality player. I already knew it at Porto. We managed to bring him here like Joao and Kyle, they have quality and give more solutions to the team. A group works when a group of players are available to sacrifice themselves, get out of their comfort zone and work for a bigger purpose, which is to follow the team.

“These details take the players to a higher level. We all know that Joao Felix, Leao, Pulisic, Gimenez, and Tammy are good when we have the ball. There is a whole other job when we don’t have the ball. If we are compact and solid as a team it’s not just a job for the defensive line: when they understand it they will have more fun, and they will win more games. This is my thought about football.”

Feyenoord are up next for Milan and that game, being away from home, will require another strong performance from a mental point of view. It remains to be seen which players will start, but the feeling is we will see tonight’s stars Santiago Gimenez and Christian Pulisic.