“He’s Had A Great Start And I Think He Has All The Characteristics To Be A Coach"

Written By Onyeka Daniel

Despite having a reputation before he was hired, no one could have expected the kind of start that Portuguese manager, Sérgio Conceiçao has had at AC Milan as he won his first two games in spectacular fashion.

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The team came back from a losing position twice, against Juventus and Inter Milan in Saudi Arabia to win the Supercoppa Italiana trophy. And now, with the team set to return to action in the Italian Serie A.

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For former Milan and Lazio defender Giuseppe Pancaro feels that his ex-teammate has found the right formula for motivating the Milan squad, especially Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao.

Milan are preparing to meet Cagliari on Saturday after winning the Supercoppa Italiana. Pancaro, a former Lazio and Milan defender, spoke about the new Rossoneri coach in an interview with Tuttosport.

“We are tied by Lazio’s Scudetto. He made such a significant contribution; he was very strong in one-on-one and played a key role in winning the title,” Pancaro said. “Conceicao has already won a trophy, which is the most important thing.

“He has transmitted determination to the team. This is what he wants. He will always demand aggressiveness, running, and practicality.” Milan are the clear favourites against Cagliari, given their current form.

Nevertheless, the Rossoneri have often struggled to find the right motivation against teams in the bottom half of the table, and they’ll need to show a different attitude after beating Juventus and Inter in the Supercoppa Final Four.

The former Lazio, Inter and Parma winger has signed a contract to 2026, but Milan have an option to terminate the deal at the end of the season. “Remaining at Milan [beyond the summer] is up to him now,” Pancaro continued.

“He’s had a great start, and I think he has all the characteristics to be the Milan coach. “Sergio knew he didn’t have time, so he started from the mentality. He immediately boosted the motivation of strong footballers, and it was evident.”

This is particularly true of Theo and Leao, who didn’t seem to be on good terms with Conceiçao’s predecessor, Paulo Fonseca. “Both players needed a coach like Conceiçao. A coach with this character who can motivate them to give their best,” argued Pancaro.

The Rossoneri now need to climb the Serie A table as they are eight points below a Champions League placement. “The table does not reflect the team’s value,” Pancaro noted. “I think Milan are only second to Inter and this confidence boost can give a big push in Serie A and in the Champions League.”

Milan sacked Fonseca at the end of December, leaving the Rossoneri 8th in the Serie A table, eight points below Lazio in fourth. However, they also have two games in hand to be played against Bologna and Como. Conceicao will make his Serie A debut as a coach on Sunday.

But he played 137 games in Italy’s top flight as a footballer, scoring 13 goals and providing 21 assists. In a related development, Milan have reportedly rejected an opening offer from RB Leipzig for Noah Okafor.

Transfer expert Matteo Moretto claims that Milan rejected an opening loan offer from RB Leipzig for Okafor, which included an option to buy. According to the report, Leipzig proposed an option to buy for around €10-12m, but the Rossoneri expect a higher fee.

It has already been known that Okafor is registered for €11m at Milan, so any sale below that fee would affect the club financially. It Is understood that the Rossoneri are willing to continue talks with Leipzig as they are determined to sell either Okafor or Samuel Chukwueze in January.

And the idea is to bring in another forward that can play as a winger, which is where the name of Marcus Rashford come in. Okafor is in his second season at Milan. He joined the Rossoneri in the summer of 2023 in a €15.5m deal from RB Salzburg.

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The 24-year-old Swiss international has only scored one goal and provided two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions this season. He has generally struggled to nail down a starting spot in the team, even when they had Olivier Giroud at the club.

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