Conceição praises Milan character but demands more after Leão goal earns first Serie A victory [video]
Como 1-2 AC Milan
Sérgio Conceição has his first win in Serie A, after AC Milan once again came from behind to beat Como on Tuesday evening in Italy.
Rafael Leão scored the winning goal as the Rossoneri overturned an early second-half deficit, securing victory from a losing position for the third time in four matches under Portuguese boss Conceição.
Como went ahead on the hour through their new €12m recruit Assane Diao, who scored on his full debut with a smart finish. The hosts’ lead lasted just over ten minutes, however, with Milan drawing level through a volley from France international left-back Theo Hernandez on 71 minutes.
Hernandez’s equaliser set the stage for Rafael Leão to score his first goal under Conceicao to complete their comeback. Tammy Abraham played a perfectly-weighted through ball for Leao to run onto and convert with typical style, lifting his finish over onrushing Como goalkeeper Jean Butez with 15 minutes remaining.
Conceição had caused a minor stir in the Italian media by appearing fiery and short of patience during a pre-match interview, when he responded to a question about Milan’s top-four aspirations by bluntly saying “talk means nothing, now we need action and a result, that’s it!” before walking away.
Asked if he was more calm after the victory, Conceição replied: “I was boiling up on the touchline. I am also not accustomed to doing pre-match interviews, I don’t even speak to my family for 2-3 hours before a match, let alone the media, but there are rules and I must get used to it.
“[The match] was a lot of suffering, because we were up against a good team with fine players and they are well-drilled.
“We prepare for games with video lessons and whiteboards, but don’t get time to work in training on the pitch and we are missing a lot of things. We need to be far more present with attacking and defending duels.
“In any case, we always see a good reaction and it is easier to work when we have positive results to build on. There is a lot that needs to be improved, we cannot always allow 5-6 scoring opportunities.”
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I can talk for hours, if they don’t get it then it’s difficult – Conceição
“We are playing against quality opponents and are going to struggle if we don’t do what we prepared. It went better after the break, especially after we conceded the goal. We’ve got to be more solid as a unit, we cannot allow the opponents to keep passing it around us so easily.
“I tell the lads, the foundations of football are solidity. If you do not concede, then with the quality at our disposal, we will score eventually. In four games, we have completed a comeback three times to win, so that means there is character. We can improve physically, tactically, technically and in terms of attitude.
“I can talk for two hours, but if they don’t get it into their heads, then it becomes difficult. We need more pressing, more intensity, a lot of work to be done. We have clear ideas, but the players were not accustomed to a certain type of work. They think that if they press high, then they end up running more. That is not true, you run less.
“This is my whole philosophy of football. Naturally, we also have a lot of players who do not have these characteristics, so we are trying to change them. We have everything to gain.”
Milan’s next match sees them travel to Turin for a much-anticipated clash with Juventus on Saturday.
By @SeanGillen9