Sergio Conceicao is leaving for Milan. The photo of the next AC Milan manager at the airport was published by the X account of the Portuguese website Sports cabins. The Portuguese will land in the Lombardy capital around 2.30pm and will head to Milanello in the afternoon to familiarize himself with the structures and probably also to meet the management. Tomorrow the first training session before leaving for Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup.
ULTIMA HORA | Sérgio Conceição de match para Milão 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Q61YzGe15U
— Cabine Desportiva (@CabineSport) December 30, 2024
But who is Conceiçao?
We have all followed his career as a footballer here in Italy, having written a beautiful page of our football with Lazio and Inter. As a coach, however, it will be his second time away from Portugal, where he is considered one of the best coaches in the country’s recent history.
The second most successful coach in Portuguese football
Coach since 2012, from his experience at Olhaense to Academica de Coimbra, before moving on to Braga where he achieved his first goal, the Portuguese Cup final. A brief parenthesis in Ligue 1, at Nantes, then the most important story of his career as a manager: in June 2017, Conceição took charge of Porto, signing a two-year contract. In his first season, he led the club to victory in the Portuguese championship, breaking a five-year drought. His contract was subsequently extended, and under his leadership, Porto continued to achieve success, including another national title in the 2019-2020 season, accompanied by victory in the Portuguese Cup, thus achieving the “double”. Furthermore, he led the team to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on two occasions. During his tenure, Conceição set significant records, becoming the coach with the most matches in charge of Porto and the second most successful coach in the history of Portuguese football, with ten trophies won.
Very different football from Fonseca
If with Fonseca Milan always tried to impose their game, while conceding a lot in defense and not showing great organization, with Conceiçao we can expect the opposite. His football, in fact, is based on intensity, aggression, pressing and quick transitions. A game destroyer, more than a builder. The Portuguese coach has often preferred the 4-4-2 (or 4-2-3-1)especially at Porto, but has shown a certain tactical flexibility, often adapting his teams to the opponent in front. His style favors a direct game, with few horizontal passes. The objective is to advance quickly towards the opponent’s goal, taking advantage of the verticality and spaces between the lines. The wingers, both defensive and offensive, are crucial in Conceiçao’s system, so the role of Theo Hernandez will be important, but also that of Rafa Leao. In European competitions or against top-level opponents, the former Porto player knows how to adapt his style, opting for a more cautious and wait-and-see game, focusing on counterattacks to strike on the counterattack. A pragmatic coach, the opposite of Fonseca: will he be the right choice?