Conceicao: Milan ‘don’t get luck without hard work’, ‘Inzaghi will always be my friend’ | OneFootball

Sergio Conceicao believes that Milan will not have any ‘luck’ against Inter without hard work, and has explained that he will be friends with Inter coach Simone Inzaghi ‘before and after’ the Supercoppa Italiana final on Monday, despite their previous arguments on the pitch.

The new Rossoneri coach addressed the media at his pre-match press conference on Sunday, ahead of Monday’s Supercoppa Italiana final against rivals Inter in Riyadh on Monday night.

Asked how he is feeling ahead of his second Milan match, which comes with the opportunity to win his first title, Conceicao said: “Better, and I hope the team is doing better than me. We are preparing for the match. Inter are a strong team and are used to winning, with the same coach and with players who have been together for a long time.

“It’s a good thing for them, we have to think about ourselves, though. It’s been difficult, but in difficult times, we all have to be men, we can’t forget that all these fans are watching us. We also can’t forget that we have four or five players who aren’t at their best.”

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – JANUARY 03: Players of AC Milan acknowledge the fans after the team’s victory in the Italian Super Cup Semi-Final match between AC Milan and Juventus at Al Awwal Park on January 03, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Conceicao: Milan have had ‘two games to win a title’

Conceicao was asked if he has any particularly strong feelings ahead of the Inter match, given the time he spent playing for the Nerazzurri in the early 2000s.

He replied: “I have respect for all the teams I’ve played for. My son plays for Juve. The feeling is the same regardless of the opponent. I have good relationships with my players, I really want to prepare well so that they can beat a strong team.

“It’s two games to win a title. We’ve taken one step, and now we have to take the other. We hope it goes well, we are confident.”

Inzaghi and Conceicao were both asked about the high number of coaches who have come from Sven-Göran Eriksson’s Lazio side of the early 2000s.

The Milan coach said: “There are definitely a lot, I had lots of good coaches. Eriksson had a fantastic relationship with the players, I never saw him get angry. Sven is always in my heart, and in the hearts of all the players from that team. I had Sacchi and Malesani, too.

“I love Italy and consider it my second home, because I came here when I was a young guy and I had so many wonderful times. It’s a pleasure and an honour to come back to Italy to coach an historic team like Milan.”

Conceicao offers update on Leao

There was also a relatively positive update on Milan’s star forward Rafael Leao, who has not been fully ruled out of the final on Monday.

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 03: Rafael Leao of AC Milan runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Yeferson Paz during the Coppa Italia match between AC Milan and Sassuolo at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 03, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We’ll train in the afternoon and evaluate. He definitely doesn’t have 90 minutes in him, but we’ll see if he can play or not.”

Asked with a hint of irony if he feels that Milan have had ‘luck’ given that the first two games of Conceicao’s tenure have come against Juventus and Inter, the coach said:  “You don’t get luck if you don’t work hard. Luck comes if you have talent, if you’re serious, if you have a lot of desire. We have to work hard.”

Conceicao was also asked if he will shake hands with Inzaghi at full-time, given that there were slightly unsavoury scenes the last time the two met in the dugout, during Inter-Porto in the Champions League last season.

He responded: “Definitely. These are things that happen during matches, but there’s always respect. We are men of football, we played together and love each other. He will be my friend before and after the match.”