The Sergio Conceicao era is now over at the Rossoneri: farewell inevitable after total rout in a season to forget
Milan, finisce l’era Conceição: disfatta totale e addio inevitabile (Ansa Foto) – SerieAnews
There is a silence that weighs more than a thousand whistles. The one at the San Siro tonight was the deafening sound of a season ending in the worst way. Milan lost 3-1 to Roma on the final day of the season, and is officially out of all European cups for next season.
A very harsh epilogue, which hurts. But which, at the same time, no longer surprises anyone. Because the feeling that something was broken had been there for some time. And now, after months of doubts and tensions, Sérgio Conceição’s fate also seems written.
The Portuguese coach had been called in to shake things up, to restore order and ambition. Instead, he finds himself leaving behind an identity-less Milan, out of it all and fresh from a double heartbreak in the space of a few days. Yes, because in addition to tonight’s disaster, there had already been the final lost in the Coppa Italia against Bologna. Another 2-0 loss that left only anger and bitterness. Two falls in the space of a week. Two confirmations of a vertical collapse.
La fine di Conceição: tra fallimento e disillusione
In the Milan household, no one has the courage to defend this project anymore. Not even those who chose it. Furlani’s post-match words came as a sentence disguised as an analysis: “There are no more alibis. We will change everything that needs to be changed.”
La fine di Conceição: tra fallimento e disillusione (Ansa Foto) – SerieAnews
The reference is clear: Conceição will be exonerated, and as early as the next few days the official announcement could come. In Conceição’s contract there is a special clause in favor of AC Milan. In fact, the Rossoneri club, as explained by Sky Sport, will be able to terminate the contract in June 2025 without having to pay the coach’s salary until the end of the signed agreement (June 2026).
The cycle lasted too short to leave anything behind, but long enough to generate disillusionment. Yet the premise was different. Milan wanted a coach with character, who could bring up the youngsters but also manage the big boys.
Conceição arrived from Porto with a good reputation, but in Italy things never really clicked. Difficult soccer to decipher, questionable rotations, tactical choices that often confused rather than convinced. The knockout against Roma was just the final point, the perfect image of a team turned off, without ideas, without hunger.
The season ends like this: zero trophies, out of Europe, and with a general feeling of a wasted opportunity. Because the roster, though with limitations, was competitive. And the confidence, at the beginning of the year, was not lacking. The problem was that a real identity was never built. And when that starts to be lacking, the rest becomes just a matter of time.
E ora? Nuovo allenatore e rivoluzione alle porte
The future of Milan will be written as early as in the coming weeks. It is certain that there will be a new coach on the Rossoneri bench in the coming season. There are several names on the table, some even of great appeal, but the club seems willing to take a step back on the “betting” plan and bet on a more solid profile, with experience in Serie A and clear vision. The goal is to rebuild from the rubble. But with no more alibis.
As fans, it is difficult to accept such a year. Even more complicated is to see that summer promises have turned into an endless list of regrets. But in soccer, every ending is also a beginning. It just remains to be seen who will have the courage – and the lucidity – to write the next chapter. And above all: will Milan finally know how to turn the page?
This article Exempting Conceiçao, his days are numbered: there’s a clue that doesn’t lie appeared in its original version, first on SerieANews.
