AC Milan must return to reality when they host weak Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday, coach Sergio Conceicao said after leading his new team to the Supercoppa Italiana earlier this week.
Milan won their first trophy under Conceicao as Milan manager on Monday, a week after the Portuguese’s appointment, when Tammy Abraham’s stoppage-time goal gave the team a 3-2 victory over city rivals Inter Milan.
“I think those who think winning the Super Cup is enough cannot work at Milan,” Conceicao said at a press conference on Friday.
“It’s true, we liked it and we deserved it, but we are 17 points behind the leader in the table. A club that has won 19 league titles and seven Champions Leagues cannot have a full belly while watching the Super Cup.
“So let’s focus on tomorrow, we have to win and convince. The Super Cup is over.”
The 2022 Serie A champions equaled Inter’s eight Super Cup victories, one less than record holder Juventus.
However, Conceicao remained calm about this achievement, demanding further improvements from his team.
“One of the things that didn’t do well in the derby, in my opinion, is that we made mistakes in pressing,” Conceicao said.
“There are undoubtedly many things that need to be improved. The right way to experience success is to think that there is another, much more important one ahead of us.
“I liked it, I even danced, but already on the plane I was thinking about tomorrow’s match.”
Milan will be without midfielder Ruben Loftus-Chek against 17th-placed Cagliari.
“He has a little problem and he won’t be there tomorrow,” Conceicao told reporters. “I’m sorry because he was developing physically.”
READ ALSO | Guardiola is hoping for a long-awaited third successive win when Man City take on Salford
Conceicao also said he has not yet discussed transfer goals with the club’s management.
“I’ll tell you the truth: the management tried to talk to me about this once or twice, but in my opinion it was at the wrong time because there are games (to be played),” he said.
“I prefer to talk about it at the right time. I know we need to talk about this, but not now. The most important thing is tomorrow.”
The 50-year-old also remained reticent about reports linking Milan with the transfer of Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
“Rashford is a good player, like many others. We’ll see what happens,” Conceicao said.
