MN: ‘The only one who cares’ – why Conceicao has started a ‘personal battle’ at Milan | OneFootball

One thing we have learned from Sergio Conceicao’s first month in charge is that he is not afraid to call out the things that he does not like.

MilanNews have published a piece titled: ‘Saving Private Sergio, the only one who (really) cares about Milan today’. They recall some of the phrases that he uttered after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Juventus, one of the worst second-half performances of the season.

“The first step to winning the game is wanting to win it,” he said. “Some have to do some soul-searching,” the Portuguese added. “They have to look in the mirror and decide what to do,” he went on. Finally: “We need to have an empty fridge at home to be hungrier.”

With the new coach in the dugout, it was believed that Milan had finally changed their attitude, but against the Old Lady we saw a passive and confused team that let Juve dominate, something Conceicao hated.

It feels like Conceicao has ‘started a personal battle against players and the club’, and during training on Sunday he urged the players to look after their own responsibilities, hoping to stimulate a reaction of pride in all of them.

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Conceiçao intends to change things, but to do so he needs the support – financial and otherwise – of those above him, namely the club. Since his arrival there have already been several meetings about strategy, and the feeling is that he will not be happy with just Kyle Walker arrived.

There are 13 days left until the end of the winter mercato so there is still time, though the fact that Conceicao some friends in confidence that this is the team with the least character and desire to win that he has ever coached in his career says how much work is to be done.