MILAN (Reuters) – AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao hopes his side can overcome their recent difficulties when they host Inter Milan in Serie A on Sunday, having already beaten their rivals twice this season.
Milan defeated Inter 2-1 in September in the league before a last-gasp 3-2 win in the Italian Super Cup in January.
However, Milan have lost two of their last four games in all competitions, including a shock 2-1 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday that saw them miss out on an automatic last-16 spot and go into the playoffs.
“There is a lot to improve,” Conceicao told a press conference on Saturday. “We have to work to have the base.
“As a coach I always have my bags packed, because a coach’s (life is) like that,” added the 50-year-old Portuguese who joined Milan at the end of December after leaving Porto in June.
Conceicao started with a four-match unbeaten run, winning three of the games before a 2-0 loss at Juventus in mid-January.
“In (the Super Cup final in) Riyadh the players understood well that positive energy, a sparkle in their eyes was needed to play like children. That’s what I mean when I talk about passion and desire. This is what I try to convey,” Conceicao said.
“(But) in terms of the game, we are still very far from what I want. I like a compact team that presses high, with a very high intensity, that creates a lot offensively.
“You ask me if I have the players to play this game. At the moment I say no. This is why we play differently … And this is not an excuse, because when I came here I already knew it.”
PLAYOFFS BECKON
Milan started their final Champions League first phase game in sixth place after a five-match winning streak in the competition but finished 13th after the defeat by Zagreb.
They will now face Feyenoord over two legs this month for a spot in the knockout rounds.
“I hoped not to play the playoffs, but we’ll get to work,” Conceicao said.
“Positivity and energy (are important), sometimes even beyond the limit, but then we have to grow. After the first half in Zagreb, we can’t go any lower.”
Milan face an Inter side hungry for a derby win and in confident mood after Simone Inzaghi’s side, second in Serie A and three points off Napoli with a game in hand, secured a Champions league last-16 berth by beating visitors Monaco 3-0.
Milan, also with a game in hand on the top sides, are down in seventh spot in Serie A, 19 points off the pace.
“I faced Inter with Porto, they haven’t changed much,” said Conceicao. “The players know each other well and it’s very positive for them. We have to understand what we can do to counter their game dynamics and attack their weaknesses.”
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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