Capello criticises Conceicao for Calabria row after Milan 3-2 Parma: ‘It’s not normal’ | OneFootball

Fabio Capello was critical of Milan coach Sergio Conceicao for his reaction after the full-time whistle in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Parma, claiming it was ‘not normal’ for the Rossoneri tactician to respond so furiously to one of his players in front of the cameras.

For the fourth time in seven matches under Conceicao, Milan had to come from behind to claim victory, winning 3-2 against Parma despite having trailed 2-1 in the 91st minute.

There were unusual scenes at full-time, though, as Conceicao rushed across the San Siro pitch to confront right-back Davide Calabria in a moment of uncontrolled emotion.

Both the player and coach claimed that the issue had been settled by the time of their post-match interviews, while post-match reports claimed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s intervention helped calm the situation down.

Capello: Conceicao reaction to Calabria ‘not normal’

epa11854711 Milan’s head coach Sergio Conceicao celebrates winning the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Parma Calcio, in Milan, Italy, 26 January 2025. EPA-EFE/MATTEO BAZZI

Writing in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column, Capello shared his thoughts on the incident and lent a word of advice to the Rossoneri coach.

“It’s not normal to see a coach lash out in this way, against one of his own players in front of everyone,” Capello wrote. “Of course you get arguments in football, tough ones at times, I’m the first to be aware of that, but it has to be inside, in the dressing room, not in front of the cameras.”

“The two culprits played it down in the post-match interviews, but I remain convinced that the situation was a symptom of some evident tensions, and more than anything, shows a bit of nervousness from the coach.”

Capello believes that Milan are currently a team that ‘reacts’ rather than one that ‘acts’ given that they have had to come from behind in four out of seven matches since Conceicao took over.

“I think it stems from his difficulty in getting the team to follow him. Milan does not do what the coach asks. They don’t press enough when they lose the ball, they are not aggressive, they don’t have the anger and competitiveness to win games.

“You can say that the Rossoneri have brought home five wins from seven games with Conceicao, but they went behind and came back on four occasions. It’s a team that reacts, rather than acts.”