Sergio Conceicao only has a guaranteed contract with AC Milan until the summer, and thus he is on a mission to convince the leadership.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have published a piece titled: ‘Conceiçao Project: What He Must Do to Stay in the Saddle at Milan’. It is a journey that has currently been embellished with a trophy after just eight days of work, but he is the first to know perfectly well that more certainties are needed.
Let’s say that the Supercoppa Italiana was the icing on the cake, paradoxically the cake still needs to be put together. In essence, he decoration is there, but the base that Conceicao will have to prepare in the next four months is missing.
Three problems
The draw with Cagliari ultimately tells an obvious story: there are no coaches with a magic wand so powerful as to completely change the face of a team in two weeks of work.
Also because the dynamics offered by two one-off matches against rival opponents are very different from the war of attrition that is the league season.
The most obvious problems always remain the same: difficulty in breaking down a low block, an inability to take chances, and a propensity to suffer tactically from counter-attacks.
The games are passing and the standing in the table has not improved. Six points in the last five league games are an average far from a Champions League spot contender. Conceiçao also found himself bogged down in this, and the final position in Serie A could be key.
The idea for the future
The project imagined by the Rossoneri is based on a year and a half, but after the first six months a substantial and crucial turning point is expected.
It is substantial because the litmus test will be linked to the table, crucial because a clause in the clauses of the contract there is the chance to break it in June and find another coach.
It is a scenario that no one inside the offices of Casa Milan wants to take into consideration, but which evidently cannot be ruled out as things stand, even after the trophy win.
The critical factor will be Champions League qualification, be that a top four or a top five finish, whatever the co-efficient determined. Continuing with the virtuous cycle is a must in the eyes of the ownership.
Up to this point in the current edition of the top European competition, Milan have already taken home €54m, to which must be added the ticket takings and the revenues linked to marketing. At the moment, fourth place is eight points away, and the gap must be cut soon.
Be the first to comment