New AC Milan boss Sergio Conceicao has spoken for the first time since being appointed, and he sent a strong message to the fans.
The Rossoneri opted to dismiss Paulo Fonseca this past weekend following our draw with Roma, and the appointment of his successor was immediate as Conceicao arrived just a day later.
READ MORE: Milan announce Conceicao appointment, confirm details of deal
With such a quick turnaround before our next game as we face Juventus in the Italian Super Cup on January 3, the Portuguese tactician got straight to work as he held his first training session with the squad on his first day, and he briefly spoke about being named the new Milan Head Coach.
While he’ll likely be excited and motivated by the opportunity of taking this job, this was a perfect first message from Conceicao to the supporters, as he emphasised the importance of putting emotion and talk aside, and simply getting to work and trying to move us in the right direction as quickly as possible.
“I’m proud of this adventure,” he told MilanTV. “The emotion is temporary because we have to work. We have to have a warm heart and a cool head to work hard and succeed in winning matches: that’s what we want. We represent a great club at a world level and we have to live up to it.
“We don’t have much time but that’s absolutely no excuse. With the time I have available I have to work hard so that the players understand what they have to do individually and then collectively to be a strong team every game. There’s no other way, there’s a lot of work to do and it’s here with them: if we have a great mentality, then with the organisation and the quality that the players have we can do great things.
“Words are words. I have to prove it with facts and results. Behind it all there has to be a lot of work from everyone: not just the players but also every member of the staff. We are here to work. What I say to the fans is that we will work hard to live up to this great club.”
As he noted himself, Conceicao will ultimately be judged on results, and so it’s hoped that he can make a positive start at the helm to build confidence and belief within the squad in his ideas, as well as getting the Milan fans behind him and the team, which was sorely lacking with his compatriot and predecessor.
With that in mind though, it goes beyond just results as our performance level needs to pick up too, with clear signs that there is an identity and style of play being implemented, and importantly, successfully executed by the players to ensure we are convincing and inspiring with the way we’re playing.
That may not come immediately as Conceicao looks to get his foundational principles in place with the group first to get ready for Juventus in a matter of days, but with Cagliari at home marking his first Serie A game in charge on January 11, it’s hoped we’ll start to see his influence come through.