RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS) – “We had little time to work but we told the team what they need to improve in order to be competitive tomorrow and be able to win. The timing is what it is, but when I came I knew there were injuries, that there was little time to work but they must not be excuses.” Sergio Conceicao is not looking for alibis on the eve of his debut on the Milan bench tomorrow in Riyadh in the Italian Super Cup semifinal against Juventus. “The moment is not good but only we can change it. Results count and that is what we are looking for, starting tomorrow: to win and go to the final. Did I see the challenge at the San Siro? I saw two teams with fear of losing – the reference to the 0-0 in the league confrontation – Tomorrow we will have to have the will to win, also looking at the defensive phase which is important because there are also quality players on the other side.” And among them is son Francisco. “I am not excited but cold, I have a fever of 39 – retorts the Rossoneri coach – At home I am his father and he is my son, tomorrow we will be opponents, I want to beat him as he wants to beat me. I hope tomorrow I will be happier.” Francisco’s positive impact, however, does not surprise him. “He is a quality player, technical, tactical and physical, he is an ‘irreverent’ player who can do well in Italy and in the world. Juve has many quality players, young, who work well, compact and we have to understand how to dismantle their good defensive organization. We will have to be compact, aggressive, and work as a team.” Conceicao, who glosses over the rumors linking Tomori to Juve (“I haven’t had time to talk about the market but he is part of the group”), does not see the Milan bench as a risk, quite the contrary. “Life is made of risks and challenges, I have worked so hard to get here. Being at Milan is not a risk but a pleasure and a pride.” Also at the press conference was Mike Maignan. “We know that a change of coach is never easy but we are focused and attentive to what the new coach asks in order to be ready as quickly as possible. For now we have to do everything to have positive results, tomorrow is a semifinal, a very important game for the club and for us, we have to take advantage of this moment 100%. The right moment is tomorrow,” stressed the French goalkeeper, “We must not talk too much, we are here to react and do better. I know my teammates, every day we try to give our best, the results did not please the fans but neither did we.” And as for Fonseca, “we said goodbye to him and what we said to each other stays between us.”- photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
