Donadoni confident Milan beat Feyenoord but worried about lack of ‘clear style’ under Conceicao | OneFootball

AC Milan must raise their performance level if they are to beat Feyenoord in the Champions League tomorrow, but Roberto Donadoni has fired a warning.

Milan have left themselves with it all to do in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie against Feyenoord as they lost the first leg 1-0 at De Kuip, with Igor Paixao scoring the only goal three minutes it.

A lot had been said in the build-up to the game about the ‘Fantastic Four’ of Santiago Gimenez, Rafael Leao, Joao Felix and Christian Pulisic. They all got the nod, and yet the Rossoneri were shut out by a team who conceded over 20 goals in the eight games of the ‘league phase’.

Donadoni spoke during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport published on the eve of the second leg at San Siro and admitted that he is confident but also wary of this Milan side.

How are Milan approaching tomorrow’s match?

“Not at their best, if we look at the result of the match against Verona. They won at home and by a narrow margin against a team fighting relegation, with whom the difference on a technical level is great. That said, after the defeat in Rotterdam, the three points were necessary to send a signal.”

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To recover from the 1-0 defeat in the first leg, a different performance will be needed…

“Tomorrow’s match is absolutely delicate, a crossroads for the season. I hope that Milan can overcome this obstacle.”

What kind of contest are you expecting?

“Dutch teams are not easy to face because they have a certain type of attitude and mentality away from home. I expect Feyenoord not to come to San Siro to give up playing, but to try to score.

“They too, like Milan, have gone through a change on the bench that has given them a boost. Being able to count on two results out of three will be an advantage.”

Are you confident?

“I am, provided that there is a change of pace, otherwise in a few days we will find ourselves making the same considerations as at the beginning of the season.”

What is the mistake made in the first leg that must not be repeated?

“In general, I would say that in Rotterdam I expected Milan to do much better. For this reason, I hope that the performance will be very different.”

Photo by AC Milan

What will be essential?

“What Conceiçao always asks for is determination and conviction. In a do-or-die match, you have to be hungry and want to impose your game through a different attitude and spirit than in the first leg.”

Who can be the extra man for the Rossoneri?

“It would be a mistake to hope for just one. If a team wants to have a style, it cannot ignore a certain type of attitude that must be collective.”

And so far this attitude has often been lacking at Milan…

“Thanks to the transfer market, the squad is better than a month ago, but it still seems to me that the team doesn’t have the conscience and awareness that allow them to obtain certain results with continuity.

“The current up-and-down path leaves one perplexed and is the result of a style of play that I struggle to identify. There are teams like Como and Lazio that have a clear style, the Rossoneri don’t.”

Is it the fault of the change of coach and the little time that Conceiçao had at his disposal?

“When you change coach it means that things aren’t going well and the blame must be distributed across the board, not only between the team and the players, but also with the club.

“Conceiçao has been here for a month and a half and we expect that his playing style will start to show, even if the signings have forced him to review something.”

Speaking of the mercato, having Gimenez in red and black and not as an opponent is a great advantage…

“He’s a centre-forward who gave me a good feeling because he’s technically gifted and has a nose for goal. He’s an important addition, a number nine who’s had a promising start: his two goals in Serie A are a good calling card.”

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Do you also approve of the arrival of Joao Felix?

“I like players like him because he has quality, he’s quick and good at creating numerical superiority. We need to find the right context to insert him, but the first performances are encouraging.”

What about Kyle Walker?

“He was what was needed to give a little more certainty back there, on the right. He’s not as young as Bondo and Sottil, who can be valuable for rotations in the league, but the former City player has the right spirit and attitude, those of a leader.”

Now Leao must become more consistent…

“We’ve had this conversation about Leao so many times… He has to be the one to understand what he has to do without the ball and put it into practice.”